Dave Kosco is director of design at Newport Beach, Calif.-based Bassenian Lagoni Architects.
iStock Dave Kosco is director of design at Newport Beach, Calif.-based Bassenian Lagoni Architects.

“Le Corbusier's famed apartment building is structurally very simple: a rectangular concrete grid into which are slotted precast apartment units. In describing the building, Le Corbusier said it went together like putting ‘bottles into a wine rack.' Deep balconies create the primary external feature. Inside, there are 23 different apartment configurations—an amazing feat of programming—designed for a single person or large families.”

Unité d'Habitation | Location: Marseille, France | Architect: Le Corbusier | Built: 1947–1952 | Units: 337 | Notable: Dubbed a “vertical village,” the building contains internal shops, a children's nursery, a medical facility, and a hotel on one of its floors.