Our brilliant team at Hi-Level Mezzanines spend their working days creating amazing space in a vast range of buildings and working with materials from steel beams to timber decking.
On their travels, it’s no surprise that they seek out stunning architecture and extraordinary sights. Some of their favourite buildings are modern masterpieces, others date from a time when the maths was calculated on paper and Health & Safety didn’t exist.
We asked Hi-Level staff to share the places that inspire them, and we’ve added a fascinating fact and a construction challenge for each. We wonder how many buildings where Hi-Level has designed and installed mezzanines will still be admired a century – or several millennia – from now!
RAF Uxbridge bunker - Paul Gander, Structural Detailer
“The underground bunker at RAF Uxbridge is where the Battle of Britain was co-ordinated.
The feeling of safety from being deep underground contrasts with the tense atmosphere you can still sense as you realise the numbers on the walls represent actual pilots whose lives were being played out on what looks like a giant board game.”
Fact: The bunker remained operational and secret for decades after the Second World War.
Challenge: Excavating deep, reinforced rooms under intense wartime pressure.
Taj Mahal - Chris Baxter, Sales Director
“Without a doubt, it has to be the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, which I was fortunate to visit with my family last year.
No photograph can do it justice – seeing it in person was a surreal experience. The white marble, the symmetry and the sheer scale of it all make it feel like something straight out of a fairytale.
Fact: Its white marble reflects different colours at dawn, noon and night.
Challenge: Transporting massive marble blocks from 200 miles away.
The Kelpies - Gerald David, Structural Engineering Estimator
“Visiting The Kelpies in Falkirk, Scotland, as a first-timer in Europe was breathtaking.
Their towering presence and artistry made me feel both humbled and inspired. It was a surreal moment that stirred a deep sense of wonder and pride.”
Fact: Each Kelpie contains over 900 unique stainless-steel skin plates.
Challenge: Precisely shaping the curved steel plates for seamless surfaces.
Durham Cathedral - Steve Bowman, Surveyor
“One of my favourite places to visit is Durham Cathedral. The cathedral is sat at the top of a hill above the River Wear overlooking the whole city. The attention to detail inside and out is quite something. The high ceilings are amazing and something I look at and wonder how we would even manage to replicate it and its detail today”
Fact: Its nave features Europe’s earliest large-scale rib-vaulted ceiling, a pioneering structural technique of the Gothic style.
Challenge: Transporting and lifting massive Norman stone blocks up the steep peninsula above the River Wear.
The Dalí Theatre-Museum – Kim Hancox, Purchasing Administrator
“The most fascinating building I have ever had the pleasure to visit is The Dalí Theatre-Museum. It is dedicated to my favourite artist Salvador Dalí based in his home town of Figueres in Spain.
It is the world’s largest surrealist object and totally blew my mind! It’s a huge terracotta building with massive eggs (representing Birth, Love and Hope) on the edges of the roof and turret. The inside was even more bizarre, featuring many of his works that I had only ever seen in a book that my Dad brought back from Spain for me when I was a little girl.”
Fact: Dalí is buried in a crypt directly beneath the museum stage.
Challenge: Converting a ruined theatre into a surreal, structurally sound museum.
Florence – Siôn Walton, Drawing Office Manager
“Florence is probably the most stunning city I’ve been to. Even though it was nearly 30 years ago I still think about walking across the Ponte Vecchio, then through to the Piazza Della Signoria and visiting the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Such a vibrant place and full of history. I’ll go back there one day.”
Fact: Florence invented the modern banking system’s double-entry bookkeeping.
Challenge: Building Brunelleschi’s dome without internal scaffolding.
Pyramids of Giza – Leeroy Reynolds, Key Account Manager
“It’s easy, the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. The scale of the Great Pyramid is absolutely jaw-dropping.
Although the narrow stairwells inside were a tight squeeze, standing in the chambers built from individual, massive stone blocks was unforgettable. As one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, it absolutely lived up to its reputation.”
Fact: The Great Pyramid was the tallest structure on earth for 3,800 years.
Challenge: Moving two-ton blocks without wheels or modern machinery.
One World Trade Center – Luis Puglisi, Estimator
“One World Trade Center and the Oculus complex are admired for their remarkable engineering. They stand as symbols of resilience, blending innovation with meaning. The historic background of the site makes them even more powerful.”
Fact: The Oculus aligns with the sun every 11 September at 10:28am, the time the North Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed on 9/11.
Challenge: Ultra-precise structural alignment across two interconnected megastructures.
Arena di Verona – Neil Woodland, Business Development Manager
“The Arena di Verona in Italy made a lasting impression on me. The Roman amphitheatre is breathtaking, and the entire historic centre of Verona is equally captivating. The coffee may have been pricey, but sitting there and soaking in the atmosphere was worth every euro!”
Fact: Its acoustics allow opera singers to perform unamplified to thousands.
Challenge: Transporting and shaping colossal stone blocks without modern tools.
The fjords, the Grand Canyon or the Vatican – Samantha Barrett, Operations Director
“I struggled to pick just one!! The Norwegian Fjords, for their breathtaking scenery and unbelievable vastness … the Grand Canyon … or perhaps the Vatican, for its beautiful architecture and history.”
Fact: The Vatican issues its own euros with unique designs.
Challenge: Constructing St Peter’s Basilica’s massive dome without collapse.
Chichén Itzá – Sarah Richardson, Sales and Marketing Co-ordinator
“Chichén Itzá in El Castillo, Mexico, is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It is amazing, as are all of the other unique buildings at this site.
I loved the connections to astronomy and discovering more about Mayan culture – it was an incredible place to visit!”
Fact: During equinoxes, shadows create a serpent slithering down the pyramid.
Challenge: Achieving precise astronomical and architectural alignment.
St Paul’s Cathedral – Wendy Strutt, Reception and Administrative Support
“The most iconic build that I’ve visited was St Paul’s Cathedral and the Whispering Gallery.
It is an amazing feat of engineering and breathtaking inside.”
Fact: A whisper on one side is clearly heard 32 metres away.
Challenge: Engineering the vast self-supporting dome in central London.
Agios Nikolaos – Victoria Steel-Page, SHEQ Co-ordinator
“The town of Agios Nikolaos in Crete, Greece, has a sea inlet with a rockface that had nesting birds on it. It was a lovely relaxing place even with the bird noise and cafés.
Plus, I was with my Nanna, who now has Alzheimer’s, and my daughter, who was still a child at the time, and it holds a special place in my memories.”
Fact: Voulismeni Lake was once believed bottomless by locals.
Challenge: Building structures along steep lakeside terrain.
Sagrada Familia – Suzanne Cooley, Accounts Manager
“Sagrada Familia in Barcelona is my favourite – easy! Designed by Gaudí, it’s an amazing building both inside and out and the architecture is second to none. It is the defining landmark in Barcelona, with beautiful stained glass inside that captures all the light in so many different colours. The outside is a complete marvel. For anyone who has never seen the church, I would highly recommend it.”
Fact: Construction began in 1882, remains unfinished and is guided today using Gaudí’s rediscovered 3D hanging-chain models.
Challenge: Integrating new construction with unfinished 19th-century foundations.
Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus – Jakub Wolanski, Structural Detailer
“The most iconic building I have ever visited is the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus. It was constructed in 4th century BC and it’s regarded as the best-preserved ancient theatre in Greece. What is amazing about the theatre is perfect acoustics that are still incomparable. Even today plays are performed in the theatre and 15,000 spectators can hear an actor’s every word – even a whisper.
Fact: The theatre’s limestone seats naturally filter low-frequency noise, giving it exceptional acoustic clarity without modern engineering.
Challenge: Building precise, stable tiers on a steep hillside required sophisticated stone-cutting and drainage techniques uncommon for the era.
Citigroup Center – Johanna Baranda, Structural Engineer
“There is this amazing 59-floor high-rise building in New York called the Citigroup Center that I am hoping I will see in person one day. It is unique as the columns are located in the centre of each side rather than in the corners. I would love to see it and take a million pictures!”
Fact: Its slanted roof was originally designed to host solar panels, but the technology when it was built in 1978 was not good enough to be effective.
Challenge: A late discovery of weak bolted joints meant crews carried outsecret overnight welds for several months before it opened to prevent potential wind-induced structural failure.
Our team are passionate about buildings, so if you are considering a mezzanine project, we would love to help. Contact us today, our team is ready!
