Rockefeller Center's observation deck had been closed just shy of two decades when it opened again to the public. Walk into the below-ground atrium lobby that leads to the attraction that's now called the Top of the Rock, and you're reminded of the big bang theory—with Michael Gabellini and Kimberly Sheppard's 35-foot-long chandelier of 15,000 crystals twinkling like a brilliant constellation. Similarly spectacular, 600 etched-glass triangles wrap the elevator core almost 70 stories up. Yet nothing surpasses the view. Cantilevered from the observation deck, perfectly clear frameless sheets of tempered laminated glass leave the vistas virtually unobstructed for 80 miles.

Octagon, Roosevelt Island, New York

DESIGN Rockwell Group.

STANDOUT This residential building's grand staircase of steel and wood spirals up six stories from the ground level.

Liberty Global, Amsterdam

DESIGN Storeage.

STANDOUT Glass walls create subtle divisions while adding bursts of color to this office building's lobby.

St. Regis Hotel, San Francisco

DESIGN Yabu Pushelberg.

STANDOUT Stone, wood, and textiles enrich the backdrop for the ground level's collection of contemporary art.