Palace of Westminster, England. After a huge fire in 1834, the House of Parliament in London burned to the ground.

What followed was a long, expensive and difficult restoration. The Government held a competition in which architects submitted designs. I was announced that Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin won, and their designs were accepted. The building process was fraught with difficulties though and neither designer lived to see their design completed. The Palace stands on the banks of the river Thames and is a landmark in London.

The Great Wall of China

One of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken; the Great Wall of China has had 3 major renovations and several extensions over the past 2,000 years. At its longest, the wall stretched for more than 6,500 kilometres. Although the wall was originally built to protect the Chinese from invading hordes, today it stands as a popular tourist attraction and a reminder of the power of the mighty empire that once ruled the lands.

The Globe theatre, England The home of William Shakespeare, the Globe theatre held a historic place in history before it burned to the ground in 1613. Forgotten about till last century, American actor Sam Wanamaker helped organise the reconstruction. Although it was difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the original Globe, the team of reconstructions came very close, building the new theatre a short walk from where the original stood. The project was costly as the government did not step in to help finance it. Instead the Globe was rebuilt entirely on private donations. It opened in 1997.

Saint PeterS BaSilica, Rome Taking over 150 years to build, the holy site was built on the burial site of Saint Peter the Apostle. It became the most expensive and elaborate building project of its time. Made of marble and stone, artists such as Raphael, Bramante and Michelangelo all worked on the masterpiece. The basilica was finally opened in 1667 and stands today as one of the most beautiful and decorative buildings in the world.

Capitol Building, USA

Created by Thomas Jefferson, the Capitol building in Washington D.C. is a beautiful sandstone and marble building. However before it was even finished, the building was set alight by the British in the war of 1812 and nearly burned to the ground. Despite the fire and war, the Capitol Building was restored and completed in 1830. To house all the important government officials the building underwent another major operation between 1851 and 1863.