2021 was the year many long-delayed high-profile projects finally managed to come to a close, overcome additional pandemic-induced delays carried over from 2020, take remaining certification hurdles, and swing their doors open to the anticipating (and sometimes locked down) public.

From the plethora of completed and newly opened buildings we had the pleasure of covering this year, here is our curated list of some of the stand-out developments in Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Berlin, Shenzhen, and more.

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Los Angeles

LA's latest architectural highlight had been a loooong time in the making, first appearing nearly ten years ago on Archinect, but after numerous delays and opening postponements — Covid-related and otherwise — the Renzo Piano-designed and LACMA-adjacent Academy Museum of Motion Pictures finally opened to the public with a star-studded gala in September. Another major Piano project, the GES-2 House of Culture, made its debut in Moscow in December.

Little Island, New York

Hotly contested in its early phases, and even canceled in the courts at some point, the elevated river park Little Island opened to much fanfare on Manhattan's Hudson River bank in May. Formerly known as Pier 55, the $260 million attraction was designed by Thomas Heatherwick's team and Signe Nielsen of landscape architecture firm MNLA.

M+ Museum, Hong Kong

Billed as one of the world's largest museums of modern and contemporary visual art, the massive new M+ Museum finally swung its doors open in Hong Kong's West Kowloon Cultural District. The $750 million cultural center was designed by Herzog & de Meuron and TFP Farrells, who emerged as winners in the international architectural competition launched in 2012. Other noteworthy Herzog & de Meuron openings this year include the SongEun Art Space in Seoul, Korea and the MKM Museum Küppersmühle in Duisburg, Germany.

Bourse de Commerce — Pinault Collection, Paris

Another high-profile art destination, the Bourse de Commerce — Pinault Collection, opened in Paris following a lengthy makeover and restoration of its 18th-century home overseen by Tadao Ando in collaboration with Lucie Niney and Thibaut Marca of NeM agency and Pierre-Antoine Gatier. In a somewhat different tone, the Japanese master also opened a slick public restroom in Shibuya as part of THE TOKYO TOILET project this year.

Audrey Irmas Pavilion, Los Angeles

Technically not officially opened until January 2022, the OMA New York-designed Audrey Irmas Pavilion made major construction progress in Los Angeles this year, making it the firm's first religious institution building. OMA also completed the Tenjin Business Center in Fukuoka, Japan this year as well as the new Paris Off-White flagship in collaboration with Virgil Abloh, who tragically passed away at 41 this year.

Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin

David Chipperfield Architects accepted the challenge of refurbishing one of the great masterpieces of modern mid-century architecture and delivered a stunning renovation of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin in August.

Moynihan Train Hall, New York

The beginning of the year also saw the opening of a major infrastructure project in New York City: more than two decades in the making under the helm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the new Moynihan Train Hall offers a welcome 225,000-square-foot rail hub expansion to the notoriously crowded Pennsylvania Station complex.

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia

Frank Gehry's $233 million renovation and expansion of the Philadelphia Museum of Art opened to the public in May after years of planning and construction. The office also celebrated the launch of its shiny Luma Tower at Luma Arles, Parc des Ateliers, France and the LA Philharmonic's anticipated Youth Orchestra Los Angeles Center in Inglewood. 

La Samaritaine Department Store, Paris

In Paris, the famed La Samaritaine department store reopened in June following a multiyear, $894 million restoration that quite stunningly clashes historic with modern elements. The Japanese office of SANAA worked in tandem with Canadian studio Yabu Pushelberg and earned the praise of French President Emmanuel Macron, who called the building a "stunning French cultural treasure."

Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam

MVRDV's new Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen opened in November under the banner of "world's first publicly accessible art storage depot," housing 151,000 pieces of art within one shiny 167,000-square-foot facility, which critic Oliver Wainwright likened to a "€3.99 Ikea salad bowl."

Infinitus Plaza, Baiyun

Zaha Hadid Architects completed one behemoth of an infinity symbol in the Chinese city of Baiyun, Guangdong Province this year. The design team proudly points to the mixed-use development's sustainability features including rainwater filtration and reuse as well as the increased use of recycled materials.

Hanking Center, Shenzhen

Morphosis set a world record by designing the new Hanking Center as the tallest detached-core building in the world. The 1,180-foot-tall mixed-use complex was only one of many new skyline-altering buildings to make their debut in Shenzhen.

Intempo, Benidorm

Closing out the pack is one banger of a building: the 650-foot, M-shaped Intempo skyscraper in the Spanish resort city of Benidorm finally reached completion following a 15-year construction period pummeled with delays and setbacks. A building only a developer could love, the gold-gleaming tower sparked instant responses from Archinectors in the comment section. Chime in if you feel so inclined.