Glass skin: The Peek & Cloppenburg building opened in downtown Cologne in 2005. A curved glass facade provides a light-filled view of the outside on five floors of the fashion store. The huge glass façade is intricately constructed with 6,800 individual panes and laminated wood beams made of Siberian larch. The design is reminiscent of a beached whale and that's why locals call it Whalefish.

• Architect: Renzo Piano