KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 — These five mega architectural projects that are either undergoing construction or being rebuilt after severe damage are still some way from completion but promise to be worth the long wait for.

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

Biblical symbols and references can be observed throughout La Sagrada Familia’s design — Picture by Vivian Chong

Barcelona was Antonio Gaudi’s playground, where the surrealist architect built some of his most famous creations and left his longest-lasting legacy, the La Sagrada Familia, a Roman Catholic church that laid its first stone in 1882. Over a century on and more than eight decades after Gaudi’s death, it is still a work in progress and it’s easy to see why: Besides its massive size, every square inch of this basilica is covered in elaborate sculptures, scriptures, carvings and reliefs. Already a UNESCO World Heritage Site that draws some 2.8 million visitors a year, visitors are allowed into certain sections including an underground museum, some of the 18 spires, and the church where daily mass is held.

Parthenon, Athens

A view of the ancient temple of Parthenon atop the Acropolis hill in Athens — Picture by AFP

Designed to house a 12-metre high statue of Athena Parthenos and first completed in 483BC, the Parthenon of Athens is the most significant surviving symbol of ancient Greece. Extensively damaged in a gunpowder explosion in 1687, it wasn’t until 1975 that the Greek government initiated efforts to restore the Parthenon and its surrounding buildings. Actual restoration works began in 1983 and while progress has been painfully slow, at least in 2010 visitors could view the stunning Doric temple without the scaffolding that had enveloped its facade for decades. The reconstruction is to continue until 2020, by which it would have taken four times as long as it took to build the original temple.

Justo Gallego Martinez’s cathedral, Mejorada del Campo, Madrid

Award-winning British filmmaker James Rogan made a documentary about him, titling it The Madman and the Cathedral. It’s a phrase many who first hear about Justo Gallego Martinez’s ambitions will tend to agree; the farmer and former Trappist monk has been painstakingly, almost single-handedly, building a 40-metre high cathedral since 1963, two years after recovering from a bout of tuberculosis. During his illness, he had prayed to the Virgin Mary for help and vowed to build a chapel in her name if he survived.

General view of the cathedral that Justo Gallego Martinez started to build on his own in Mejorada del Campo near Madrid — Picture by AFP

With no architectural background, Justo does not have a blueprint for the church but draws inspiration from iconic landmarks such as St Peter’s Basilica and the White House. In the last five decades, not a single crane has been spotted at the building site and Justo uses any discarded materials he can lay his hands on — empty oil drums are turned into supporting columns while food tubes cover one of the domes. Running on faith alone and with occasional help from his nephews and volunteers, Justo’s epic vision may take another two decades to realise.

Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

Work on Saadiyat Island began in 2004 and is expected to be completed this year

By next year, culture vultures will want to descend upon the Saadiyat Island, a mixed development project that’s set to be one of the world’s most exciting cultural centres. Occupying 27 square kilometres of reclaimed land in the Persian Gulf, the US$26 billion (RM93 billion) project began in 2004 and when completed, will be home to the first international offshoots of the Louvre and Guggenheim, as well as the Zayed National Museum. Of the three, the Louvre Abu Dhabi is scheduled to open first, by December 2015. Nature reserves, high-end residential development, leisure and lifestyle facilities, and luxurious hotels round up Saadiyat’s offerings.

World Trade Center, New York

After countless redesigns, years of delay and an overblown cost (nearly double of its original estimates), New York’s World Trade Center (WTC) is now expected to be complete by this year. Of the five planned towers, two opened in 2006 and two others were deferred while the most anticipated — the One World Trade Centre, popularly known as the Freedom Tower — is finally ready to welcome its first visitors.

Hudson View of WTC — Picture courtesy of WTC

At 541 metres it is the tallest skyscraper in America and the Western Hemisphere, and the fourth tallest in the world. What’s the view like from the Big Apple’s newest icon? Visitors can see for themselves from the tower’s Observatory, which opens to the public this May 29, with free previews scheduled for the few days prior to that.

The last piece of the massive WTC puzzle is a 800,000 square feet transportation hub that is expected to be complete later in the year, connecting 11 subway lines, the PATH railway between Manhattan and New Jersey, as well as the Battery Park City Ferry Terminal.

Vivian Chong is a freelance writer-editor, and founder of travel & lifestyle website http://thisbunnyhops.com