When people do visit a new city or town, what keeps the place in the minds of the visitors is the characteristic buildings that get to be identified by the very location.  The city of Mumbai has had a long past of having some notable buildings and structures and which have got to make Mumbai what it is today. It is not without reason that it is called the commercial capital of India and this does need to have an identity of its own.  This identity is necessarily what the most iconic buildings give to the city. 

One of the most challenging things for architects in Mumbai is to create works that are going to be noted, and it is double of an advantage to have great functionality along with the good appearances too. 

This was the building that started the Backbay reclamation some decades ago and in essence marked out the shift in the way land was considered to be until then.  It was mostly the reclamation project that spawned out the multi-billionaire real estate moguls of the times. Having a capacity to seat over a thousand people, it was undoubtedly a landmark of the times. 

Housing the headquarters of the Indian Express group of publications, this was the tallest building in Asia at a 25 story build in those days. The building is considered an icon just because it announced to the world the arrival of the Mumbai Marine Drive properties. 

There could not be a more ornate water fountain in the country which has stood on the same spot for over to a century. The beauty of the structure lies in the combination of sculpture, architecture, and art; and depicts the Goddess Flora.  The fountain as it was popularly called for decades, became one of the most coveted business addresses of the times and few visitors to Mumbai fail to make it here. 

This is one building that hogged the headlines for all the wrong reasons in the recent times. However, it cannot be denied that the Jinnah House was a monument that stands testimony to the plurality of the country. An excellent reminder of the more tolerant times in the country. 

If there is one iconic building in the city of Mumbai steeped in history, then it has to be the Mani Bhavan. This is the start to many a political dialogue of Gandhi's times and era. In many ways, this location has indeed been witness to the launches of many important movements towards providing independence to the country. 

For a seat of administration to be located in this period building is indeed prestigious. The structure is massive and built during the 1890s and located just opposite the old Victoria Terminus. This came to form the triad which in effect controlled the functioning of Mumbai of the early days. 

When folks need to be told of the stars and planets; what better spot to have it done than at the Nehru Planetarium, in Mumbai.  The building was built as a networked system that ran through the major cities of the country which not only educated the public about the celestial bodies but came to be the focal points for a large number of programs aimed at understanding the planet as well. 

This contemporary building introduced the city of Mumbai to sustainable building practices and should be acknowledged for the pioneering work it did in understanding the broader issues. It was the building that had the smallest carbon footprint in the country at the time of construction. Taken on a per occupant basis, this iconic building could still be considered to be one of the most energy efficient as well. 

The structure houses the striking clock on the University of Mumbai campus. People that pass by the fort area are never disappointed with the grand feel that the tower provides the viewer. What is still striking is that this happens to be a working clock tower all the while. 

If ever there were a national icon in the city of Mumbai, then it has to be the Opera house.  The construction was only completed after the numerous delays, and the original idea for the building has undergone a number of alterations. However, the most notable aspect of the structure is the quality of acoustics that can be rendered in the interior. 

Architects in Mumbai have long distinguished themselves with projects that got to define the very city. Most of the structures are known to offer good functionality as well.