Foster and Partners

Throughout the year, we've chased down the most interesting, innovative and sustainable buildings around the globe. Whether a Lego-shaped visitor's center, a bamboo sports hall, or a pair of "dancing" skyscrapers, each represents architectural excellence. Read on for our best buildings of 2017.

Unless you're an Apple employee, you're very unlikely to set foot in Apple Park, the company's new headquarters. However, a Visitor Center recently opened to the public nearby that offers a view of the HQ, as well as a 3D augmented reality display that lets you see inside virtually.

Construction work has officially begun on a new supertall skyscraper in central Toronto. Designed by high-profile British architecture firm Foster + Partners, the mixed use building will rise to a height of 306 m (1,003 ft), making it Canada's tallest skyscraper once complete.

Foster + Partners recently completed a new flagship Apple Store near the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest skyscraper, and the Dubai Fountain, the world's largest choreographed fountain. The store's terrace features 18 motorized "Solar Wings" that open in the evening to offer choice views.

Apple's Foster + Partners-designed "spaceship campus" was originally revealed all the way back in 2011, and it's finally nearing completion. The firm announced today that Apple Park, as it is now officially called, will open to employees in April this year.

Construction has begun on a new supertall skyscraper in Warsaw, Poland. Designed by British firm Foster + Partners, the Varso Tower will rise to a height of 310 m (1,017 ft), making it both Poland's tallest tower and the fourth tallest in Europe. It's due to be completed in 2020.

As bases go, few come can come close to the McLaren Technology Center for drama. The building was opened in 2004, and serves as the base for all the company's operations. It also wouldn't look out of place in a James Bond film. New Atlas, guided by Amanda McLaren, took a look around.

Foster + Partners has designed a new Danish HQ for Ferring Pharmaceuticals, the design of which is both striking and tailored for the firm. The 39,000-sq m (420,000-sq ft) triangular building will be located on the Copenhagen waterfront with views of Malmö and the Swedish coast.

Delivering urgent medical supplies to isolated areas seems a particularly good fit for drone technology. The Norman Foster Foundation is developing such a scheme, and the first prototype Droneport was recently displayed at this year's Venice Biennale.

British firm Foster + Partners has gained planning permission for a pair of mixed-use glazed skyscrapers in San Francisco, California. Due to begin construction in November, the towers will feature hotel, office, and residential spaces.

Last year, Nissan and Foster + Partners announced a joint brain trust to consider the Fuel Station of the Future. A vision has now been unveiled in which the Fuel Station of the Future is conceived as the home, the street, the city and indeed the car itself – but not, ironically, as a fuel station.

Foster + Partners recently began work on a new mixed-use 53 story skyscraper in Dubai's International Financial Center district. Due for completion in late 2018, the US$1 billion ICD Brookfield Place is slated for LEED Gold certification.