The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh

If you want a good example of just how innovative modern architecture can be, look no further than the new Scottish parliament. Created by Spanish architect Enric Miralles in partnership with Scottish architects RMJM, it was designed to reflect the land it represents... and the results are pretty awesome.

There's a strong Scottish theme to the building materials used, with Aberdeenshire granite for the external walls, Caithness stone for the floors and paths and Scottish oak for the impressive debating chamber, pictured (right).

Perhaps most impressive of all are the huge earth embankments which run down the nearby hills to the parliament, tying the building to the surrounding landscape. 
 
It's not all about looking good though - the team also considered all sorts of technologies to make the building as environmentally friendly as possible. For example, the hot tap water is heated by solar panels… and the water for flushing the toilets is re-cycled rainwater! It's not surprising that the design scored 10 out of 10 for environmental performance...