Weird Structures of the World
1. Basket Building Ohio, USA
Mimetic architecture is a type of architecture where the structures are designed with unusual shapes to draw the attention of the spectators. Such designs are made on the structures like coffee shops, restaurants etc to attract the customers to visit the joints. The Mimetic structures are very famous in the Western part of the world, as many structures exist over there. It sets a new trend in many places and as a result many roadside coffee shops were built in the shape of giant coffee pots; hot dog stands were built in the shape of giant hot dogs and fruit stands were built in the shape of oranges or other fruit. But here is a structure which was designed on the basis of mimetic architecture and as made people to look back on it.
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The Longaberger Basket Building is an impressive example of Mimetic Architecture and is one of the World's Largest Things. Based on an idea of Longaberger Empire Founder Dave Longaberger, whose biography was a recent hosteller in the inspirational story market? Dave's dream was achieved on December 17, 1997 when the Home Office that is designed to resemble a basket finally opened for business. The beauty of the building is undeniable. An inner atrium soars up to a glass ceiling, through which you can see the basket handles that come together over the roof. The interior is part office building, part propaganda machine, with products, "Home Consultant" sign-up, lifestyle magazines, and paintings of the founding family.
The Building is made of stucco over a steel structure, which helps create the look of an actual Langaberger Basket. A grand staircase, player piano and marble floors are just part of the beautiful decor of the building's seven story atrium. The majority of the cherry woodwork used in the Home Office was harvested from the Longaberger Golf Club in Hanover, dried at the facility, sawed and shaped at the Construction Woodshop, finished at the Construction Paint Booth and installed by the Construction Division. The Home Office is a site worth touring whether you are on your way to Longaberger Homestead or any other Longaberger destination.
The basket structure will play a crucial role in carrying the business proceedings for a brighter future prospective and will also provide a pleasant environment to its employees too.
2. Colorful Residence (Forest Spiral, Darmstadt, Germany)
Darmstadt is a city of Hesse in Germany; it has gained prominence for its chemical industries and early industrial growth in the late 20th century. Apart from that the city is also well recognized for the forest spiral residential structure located at the heart of the region. The “Forest Spiral” was built in Darmstadt, Germany, between 1998 and 2000. The “Bouverin Darmstadt” commissioned the architect F.Hundertwasser to design the structure that is a housing complex with 105 residential units.
F. Hundertwasser was an Austrian architect and painter famous for his colorful architectural designs which underlined irregular, organic forms mixed with an exclusive individualism. In fact, the idea of Hundertwasser was to plan a building rising up on the site, the Burger Park area of Darmstadt, in form of a forest spiral. Beside, natural features of the landscape are expressed in the building, through bands of ceramic tiles and colored stucco, which represented an allegory of the different layers of the rocks. The structure consists of twelve floors and, on the top; there is a big garden of beech, maple, and lime trees. On the roof there is a restaurant and the possibility of relaxing activities. The building has a unique façade which doesn’t follow a regular grid pattern and the windows appear as if they are dancing out of line and appear out of order. It was designed by Viennese artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser and finally planned and implemented by architect Heinz M. Springmann. Among the peculiarities are irregular organization, the windows, which appear as if they were “dancing out of line”, the diagonal roof, planted with grass, shrubs, flowers and trees.
The colorful Forest Spiral structure has made a very unique statement among the residents of the region through its iconic design and style. Thus this structure will draw the attention of the spectators to express the rich history of art and architecture.
3. The Torre Galatea, Figueres, Catalonia, Spain
One can hardly leave unnoticed the building that is distinguished both for its architecture and rich history. This is one of those buildings that link the architecture with fine art. Constructed in 1849-1850, the building initially served as Municipal Theatre of Figueres, however, was destroyed by a fire at the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939.
Figueres is located in the foothills of the Pyrenees, only 26 km from the French border in the principality of Catalonia. The most famous surrealist painter Salvador Dali's dream has come true when he placed his masterpieces in the Old Theatre of his native city. The museum was officially opened in 1974 and named after Dali's wife and muse Gala. One of the most visible elements of the Torre Galatea is the transparent grid structure in the form of a geodesic dome that has become a symbol both for the Theatre and Figueres. The Torre Galatea or Dali Theatre-Museum (architect Emilio Perez Pinero) blossomed and now attracts the visitors with an entire row of white eggs nestled on Carmine - red wall inlaid with golden loaves. According to his last will Dali was buried in an unmarked crypt in the museum's main exhibition hall.
The first thing one notice is the giant egg sculptures along the roofline. Then it hits the Salvador Dali Theater Museum in Figueras, Spain, is no ordinary building.
4. Kansas City Public Library, Kansas, USA
Library is an organized structure, comprising of various resources and information for reference or burrowing purpose made accessible for a defined community. Every city in the world holds a library to disseminate knowledge and information to the people around the region or place. But here is a library designed using mimetic architecture to make an exclusive statement of architecture to everyone.
The Central Branch of Kansas City Public Library became famous all over the world, when in 1999; the century-old building of the first National Bank with its marble columns, bronze doors and ornate mouldings was reconstructed to the library. However, what attracted so much attention was not the classical architecture, but the facade of the parking garage. The garage wall was designed to look like a row of giant books lined up on a shelf. The book spines, which measure approximately 25 feet by 9 feet, are made of signboard Mylar. The shelf showcases 22 titles reflecting a wide variety of reading interests as suggested by Kansas City readers and then selected by The Kansas City Public Library Board of Trustees. Library reconstruction was completed in 2004 and costed about US$50 million.
The library will definitely provide a fascinating experience to the visitors and the readers on various subject matters to grasp information.
5. Rotterdam's Cube Houses
They may look like they're about to topple over, but these cube-shaped houses actually form a small village within the city center of Rotterdam, NL. A modern concept designed by the late architect Piet Blom , and constructed in 1984, this spectacular set of buildings represents an urban forest where around 40 traditional houses are tilted at 45-degrees to rest on a hexagonal pylon. The innovative design transforms the idea of the traditional structure by playing with angles and convention. Located in the center of Rotterdam, these tilted cube-shaped houses form a village within the Dutch city, a modern concept designed to represent an urban forest. Completed in 1984 by the late architect Piet Blom, around 40 traditional houses were tilted at tilted at 45-degrees to rest on a hexagonal pylon.
The innovative design transforms the idea of the traditional structure by playing with angles and convention. These buildings were the first cubic houses in Holland, a country better known for its beautiful spindly buildings that tower above passers-by. The concept behind Blom's unusual design was to create a living roof in which people could have sufficient space in an area of high density housing. After three test versions the "woonwoud" (living woods) were finally built in the area of Helmond, arranged around the Theater't Speelhuis. Now one of the houses remains unoccupied so that visitors can take a look and get a feel for the unconventional use of interior space. The cube houses were later renewed and transformed into a new Stayokay hostel.
6. Habitat 67, Montreal, Canada
Habitat is a model community constructed along the St. Lawrence River in Montreal, composed of 354 prefabricated modules which combine to form a three-dimensional space structure. The modules, or 'boxes' as they are known, are connected in varying combinations to create 158 residences ranging from 600 ft2 to 1,700 ft2. Pedestrian streets serve as horizontal circulation throughout the entire complex. Habitat '67 was the realization of Moshe Safdie's thesis titled "A Case for City Living, A Study of Three Urban High Density Housing Systems for Community Development" and was also the major theme exhibition of the 1967 Montreal World Exposition.
"This extraordinary housing development comprising 158 units of from one to four bedrooms, with many small gardens and decks, was planned as a prototype for a system that would streamline the building process and cut costs. It was assembled from 354 reinforced-concrete building modules, ingeniously stacked so as to give privacy and views to each unit. Unfortunately, construction costs proved to be prohibitive."
Habitat 67, the backdrop to the wave is quite curious in and of itself. It was built as part of the 1967 Montreal Expo and meant to be affordable housing with distinct eye towards the future. Although originally intended to have 1,000 units, only 354 of the prefabricated concrete apartment modules were completed creating a total of only 158 apartments. Part of the architectural vision of the future in which housing could be made more affordable by using prefab models, construction costs proved to be prohibitive. As a result of the limited number of units and the architectural uniqueness of the building, units in the 'affordable' tenant owned building are today, quite expensive.
7. Dancing House
One would have seen structures dancing and moving around in friction stories, but here’s a structure designed with a dancing movement concept. In the interior of a square of buildings in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, the Dancing House has two central bodies. The first is a tower of glass that is close to half height and is supported by curved pillars, the second runs parallel to the river, which is characterized by the moldings that follow a wavy motion and distributed through the windows so the non-aligned .
The top floor of Dancing House is the only part open to the public, and is home to one of the city's leading restaurants, Celeste Restaurant. Diners at Celeste can expect a real treat. This celebrated restaurant offers delightful cuisine and magnificent views over the river and up to Prague Castle.
This solution has been driven mainly by a kind of aesthetic consideration: the windows lined evidenciarían that the building has two windows, although they have the same height as the two adjacent buildings of the nineteenth century. They also do not have to be perceived in the will of the designer, as simple forms on a flat surface, but must achieve the effect of three-dimensionality, hence the idea of frames as outgoing frames of paintings. Also the winding moldings on the facade make it more confusing perspective, diminishing the contrast with the buildings that surround it. On the ground floor are located and coffee shops are connected directly along the river and the public plaza in front.
The spaces of the second to the seventh floor are occupied, however, by offices, while in the last level houses a restaurant with a panoramic view of the city and the nearby castle. The building, which stretches over an area of 5,400 m2, has been constructed of steel, glass and precast concrete Clad revoked. The dome is made of metal tubes and covered with a mesh of stainless steel.
8. Manchester Civil Justice Centre
The elegant court complex is an exemplar of an innovative and sustainable design. The working courts and offices establish the substantive form of the building. They are held between the solid plate of the structure and services spine, and the perforated plane of the judicial layer. These elements allow a reading or sense of individual courts, without specifically defining them. They are doubled skinned. The outer layer of clear planar glass defines a singular, simple volume. The inner layer defines the interior volume, softened by the overlay of glass, but allowing a more complex and detailed reading of material, color, pattern, glazing and surface, while retaining an overall sense of clarity of form. The judicial interface is seen as the principal city scale signal of the Civil Justice Centre. The eastern façade will become the memorable ‘sign’ that clearly establishes this as the courts building and unlike any other building in the city.
The building provides accommodation of approximately 34,000m2 on 15 levels. It houses 47 courtrooms and 75 consultation rooms in addition to office and support space. It features an 11 storey atrium and a spectacular 60m by 60m glass façade along the western edge. The working courts and offices are expressed as long rectilinear forms, articulated at each floor level, and projecting at each end of the building as a varied composition of solid and void. In side elevation, these elements collectively establish a dynamic and distinctive building profile, in end elevation; they form a powerful sculptural interplay of light and shade, depth and complexity.
Manchester Civil Justice Centre is testament to what can be achieved, despite site constraints, in court buildings. There is a strong sense of openness and transparency, indicative of the processes that are being undertaken within, as natural daylight and city views provide a backdrop to its functions.
9. National Library Belarus
In 2006 when the new National Library of Belarus was constructed, nobody had ever heard of a rhombicuboctahedron. With 8 triangular faces and 18 square faces, the bizarre geometric shape was chosen for the new design of the library and has been turning heads since its construction. Designed by architects Mihail Vinogradov and Viktor Kramarenko, the library's main section is 236 feet high and features 22 levels of collections along with a large conference rooms that can seat 500 people. In total, the library has 8,600,000 items available in a variety of languages and types of media.
The building is an allegory of humanistic knowledge, the use of geometry and a return to the principles of Vitruvius arquitectua inside, its main architectural component shaped volume "rhombicube octahedron" cube octahedral diamond, which rises on a base formed by three circles staggered in height home reading rooms and public spaces. With a total floor area of ??113,669 meters square, 54,960 correspond to the reservoir. The building reaches a height of 73.67 meters, spread over 22 floors.
Although its size and shape are unique, when the building is illuminated it steps into a class of its own. Dominating the landscape for miles around, the glowing orb has almost become more of a tourist attraction than a functional library. This is probably aided by the newly designed park which houses the library, along with the library's observation deck that looks over Minsk.
10. Ryugyong Hotel, North Korea
The building consists of three triangular sections, each 100 meters long. The sections converge at the summit, giving an overall pyramidal outline to the structure. It is a gigantic building containing roughly 360,000 square meters--roughly 67 football fields--of floor space. At the very summit of the hotel is a 40-meter-tall, eight-floor conical structure, which was supposed to house seven revolving restaurants. The hotel's original plans called for 3,000 rooms, as well as plenty of space for additional commercial venues.
According to the original plan, the hotel was supposed to open in 1989; however construction problems forced the government to postpone its opening several times. In the early 1990s multiple problems hit the project. Poor quality materials, electricity shortages, and a widespread famine in the country all became serious obstacles to the completion of the building. Expected foreign investments never materialized. Finally, in 1992, construction was halted. Japanese sources estimate that over the course of its construction, the project swallowed over two percent of North Korea's GDP, or roughly 750 million US dollars.
The hotel's empty shell was left standing empty for 16 years. Due to the financial burden the project placed on the already starving nation, and the drab and menacing look of the naked concrete structure, foreign media dubbed the hotel the "World's Worst Building" and the "Hotel of Doom." Nevertheless, work resumed in 2008, and a slick glass facade is currently being installed. And the hotel will be opened very soon on the on the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung.
11. Air Force Academy Chapel, Colorado USA
The Cadet Chapel is the most popular man-made attraction in Colorado, with more than a half million visitors every year. Groundbreaking began on the iconic landmark Aug. 28, 1959, and was completed in 1963 at a cost of $3.5 million.
The Cadet Chapel's principal designer and architect was Walter A. Netsch Jr. A Chicago native, Mr. Netsch studied architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, receiving his degree in 1943 and joining the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He was 34 when he completed the design for the chapel. The chapel's aluminum, glass and steel structure soars more than 150 feet into the Colorado sky. Its 17 spires can be easily spotted from Interstate 25, several miles east. The Cadet Chapel staff's mission is to inspire men and women to become leaders of character through spiritual formation.
The most striking aspect of the Chapel is its row of seventeen spires. The structure is a tubular steel frame of 100 identical tetrahedrons, each 75 feet (23 m) long, weighing five tons, and enclosed with clear aluminum panels. The panels were fabricated in Missouri and shipped by rail to the site. The tetrahedrons are spaced a foot apart, creating gaps in the framework that are filled with 1-inch-thick (25 mm) colored glass. The tetrahedrons comprising the spires are filled by triangular clear aluminum panels, while the tetrahedrons between the spires are filled with a mosaic of colored glass in aluminum frame.
The Cadet Chapel itself is 150 feet (46 m) high, 280 feet (85 m) long, and 84 feet (26 m) wide. The front façade, on the south, has a wide granite stairway with steel railings capped by aluminum handrails leading up one story to a landing. At the landing is a band of gold anodized aluminum doors and gold anodized aluminum sheets apparently covering original windows.
12. Solar Furnace, Odeillo, France
The most famous of these solar powered burning lenses is the system Archimedes is said to have used to ignite a fleet of Roman ships. And it wasn't just the Greeks and Romans who used solar power lenses either, "Visby" lenses made of ground rock crystal were used by the Vikings in the 1000s, and similar technology is believed to have been used by the Celts and even the ancient Egyptians.
The name "solar furnace," translates in Latin to heliocaminus. A heliocaminus was simply a glass enclosed room meant to focus and heat the room, much like a modern sunroom. The principles behind a modern solar furnace hasn't changed much from these sun rooms and "burning lenses."
The world's largest solar furnace is located in Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via, a commune in the sunny Pyrenees mountains on the French-Spanish border. The furnace consists of a field of 10,000 mirrors bounce the sun's rays onto a large concave mirror which focuses the enormous amount of sunlight onto an area roughly the size of a cooking pot which reaches temperatures above 3,000 °C or 5,430 degrees Fahrenheit. The solar furnace itself isn't exactly new. The first modern solar furnace was built in Mont Louis, in 1949 by Professor Félix Trombe, and the current one was constructed in 1970. However the solar furnace continues to generate a beam of focused sunlight as powerful today as it was 3000 years ago.
13. Zenith Europe
The Zénith concept dates back to the early 80’s when the French Ministry of Culture recognized the need to create regional large-scale entertainment venues, responding to the growing demands of pop and rock culture. Philippe Chaix and Jean-Paul Morel were the architects behind the first Zénith in Paris, opened in 1984. Since then 14 more venues have landed all across the French nation but this one in Strasbourg is the biggest yet. Zenith Europe is located in the growing exhibition area of Eckbolsheim, Strasbourg. Understood as a single, unifying and autonomous sculpture, it covers a surface of 16,564 sq m. The layered and rotated ellipsoid metal façade, comprised of varying inclinations, offers a dynamic character accentuated by the translucent textile membrane, which covers the steel-frame and the volume of the music hall itself.
Projections on the outer skin create playful effects and convert the façade into a huge billboard conversing with the passers-by. In daylight the building appears as a monolith of stillness but come the night, the inner experience is transmitted to the outside through the translucent skin, the whole building becoming an ever-changing light sculpture.
The impressively spacious modular music hall nonetheless manages to retain a human dimension reminiscent of circuses: the 10,000 seats are arranged in a circular pattern within a tiered structure that offers the audience flawless conditions for visibility, acoustics, comfort and safety. Massimiliano Fuksas Architecture is responsible for various buildings throughout France and are currently working on another Zénith in Amiens. Construction of this 6,000 seats venue in the north of France is well under way: the doors of the 16th Zénith will open at the beginning of 2009.
14. Civic Center
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A recently completed Master Plan for the Civic Center designates a new civic gateway to a new Civic district that includes the renovated historic City Hall, Courthouse, and the Public Safety Building. Intended as an integral part that completes a quadrant of civic buildings, the new structure provides 900 parking spaces on six levels above grade and two below grade while visually uniting the tableau of diverse buildings. The design team was additionally challenged to create a building that exemplified the city's commitment to sustainable design while strengthening the urban fabric and providing public amenities. One of the challenges for this project is to create architecture out of a common building type one that is not generally associated with high design standards. The design addresses this standard service amenity by viewing it from a fresh perspective and taking it to a higher level where it can have a positive influence on its surroundings. The structure offers a visually memorable arrival point and gateway to the new Civic Center, street-level retail and café amenities, spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and the city, a garden, and a sense of personal safety.
The design does not disguise the utilitarian nature of the building, but instead seeks to celebrate this aspect as part of the design aesthetic. Automobiles, from their colors, types, and movement, are integrated as elements in the overall design strategy. The design solution uses colored laminated glass channels, photovoltaic panels, ribbed pre-cast concrete panels, and steel mesh to render a unique civic presence. The dynamic integration of these materials makes the structure function as an urban curtain in its vibrant context.
The building functions as an efficient sustainable designed structure. Photovoltaic panels on the roof provide much of the building's energy needs. The array of angled panels serves to accentuate the skyline and provides a memorable symbol for the Civic Center. All façades allow natural ventilation and illumination to enter all parking floors. The ceilings are painted white to maximize the quality of light and airiness
15. Nord LB Building, Hannover, Germany
The new headquarters of the Norddeutsche Landesbank, a banking office that much like the numbingly mod dental office in Japan or the stylish pharmacy in Portugal, takes the mundane and makes it—well it's interesting, all right. It is the most spectacular building that has been built in Hanover in the last years. With its transparence, its landmark high-rise, its courageous constructions and an innovative energy concept, the new building also is a pioneer among office complexes built in Germany. The internationally renowned Stuttgart-based architecture firm Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner has created an attractive workplace for the bank´s 1500 employees, at the same time infusing the city space with new impulses with a pleasant public inner courtyard and an attractive annex housing shops and restaurants.
This book presents this unique administrative building in all its aspects, accompanying the project from the initial competition to the building phase to its completion. Impressive photographs and precise texts serve to document the quality of this outstanding piece of architecture. When it was being constructed, however, the jumble was once derided as "a stack of containers," practically a term of endearment compared to the treatment it's getting by Gizmodo's readers; one calls it an "evil game of Jenga gone wrong." (Hmm, sounds familiar!)) Another take: "That's one of those buildings where you're like, even though that shit looks cool, it still looks like shit. Formally, it's awesome to take in, but aesthetically it's basically garbage.
16. Fuji’s Television Tower
Construction of Fuji Television's new headquarters - the Fuji Television Building - in the waterfront area of Tokyo's Minato district has been completed, and broadcasting from the new location commenced at the end of March 1997. The new building - designed by Kenzo Tange Associates - adds to the dynamic skyline and is a superb complement to the architecturally innovative buildings of the waterfront area. More than just a building with a unique design, the new headquarters houses a high-profile next-generation broadcasting center with an eye to the future. The building, which in many ways captures the essence of what's best about Japan, has quickly attracted attention and thus a crowd of visitors and is destined to become a Tokyo landmark.
The headquarters has 25 aboveground and 2 underground floors. Just to the left of the media tower is a unique spherical observation platform, with 53 square meters of floor space and a 32-meter diameter. The building stands 123.45 meters high and comprises a total floor space of 142,800 square meters. Construction began in May 1993 and was completed in June 1996. The project totaled nearly 185 billion yen, with construction costs coming in at 130 billion yen. An important consideration when designing this kind of building is ensuring adequate space for people to gather and exchange ideas. The headquarters' 4.8-meter-wide corridors provide not only convenient walkways but valuable space for casual talk and impromptu discussion. The building's design emphasizes space and openness, which are important concepts to the image that Fuji Television wants to project. Kajima engineers used the "Mast Column" construction method, which features four steel-frame pillars grouped together, symbolic of the consolidation of our group companies, each supporting the other. In addition, the corridors connecting the two towers strengthen the structure, making it highly earthquake resistant.
With a floor space of 1,000 square meters, the class V4 studios at the new headquarters are Japan's largest. Moreover, studios and sound rooms are being adjoined and there are plans for 150 more rooms. People place great emphasis on sound quality, and there are many areas of sound improvement that have yet to be explored.
17. Lloyds Building, London
Lloyd’s of London is a contemporary cathedral of capitalism. It was one of the most innovative buildings of its time in London. To this day, it is still seen as one of the most unique buildings in London by many architectural scholars. It is comprised of six towers, three of which are considered to be the "main" towers. The other three towers are considered service towers. Like its Medieval predecessors, the building’s guts are proudly displayed on the exterior. Steel struts strike out, akin to flying buttresses. Service pipes climb up and around the building, their clustered shafts like pillars. Towers make up its varied profile, here housing escalators, cranes and flues rather than bells. And great effect is gained by the dramatic projections casting deep shadows. This building is Gothic in spirit. The building is 289 feet tall and has a total of 14 floors. Construction began in 1978 and was completed 8 years later in 1986. It cost roughly 75 million GBP to complete the project and was contracted by Bovis Property Development. Ove Arup and Partners was the primary structural engineer on the project during the construction of all 14 floors.
Designed by the Richard Rogers Partnership, and built 1978-86, the building remains as fresh today as when first completed. In 1986, The Buildings of England described Lloyd’s as ‘the most consistently innovative building the City has seen since Soane’s Bank of England’ (1788-1827), high praise indeed, and this photograph, by A Hunter, goes some way to demonstrating its radical nature.
The adjacent Victorian and Edwardian office blocks are dwarfed, their varied stone fronts, heavy with rustication and sculpture, suddenly dulled in comparison. But, typical of the City, construction hoardings demonstrate the constant flux of the Square Mile. The Lloyd’s building will soon be met by rival towers.
18. Container City
The proposal was to build housing using metal containers that could be quickly and economically built. ContainerSpace built Container City, which is situated in South London's Dockland area, using the method that was designed and created by Nicholas Lacey and his partners. The plans called for self-contained spaces to be built in two stages. In the first Container City, containers were stacked providing 12 studios and in the second Container City an additional 30 containers were used. The following result is two groups of containers that are serviced by connecting bridges.
The basic container was modified to make it suitable for habitable space. Round pivoting windows and a sliding glass door replace the metal doors at the end of the containers. The inside of the containers are sprayed with insulation and the walls are finished in plasterboard. A single container may suffice for a miniature office or studio. An important problem that was involved in the design was how to unite the container interiors. The problem was solved by removing the side walls and supporting the edges with steel. Several containers used together results in space that varies in size from 200 to 550 square feet.
Container City in London is an example of a large scale housing development made up of shipping containers that have been recycled. The development is composed of environmentally friendly lofts and studios stacked on top of one another to create the five story building.
19. UFO Houses, Sanzhi, Taiwan
These colorful flying saucer-style buildings, located in the Sanzhi district of New Taipei City in Taiwan, were built in 1978 but were forsaken before anyone ever stayed in them. They were originally targeted towards U.S. military officers stationed in East Asia who were on leave, but investment losses and deaths due to accidents during construction caused the project to be abandoned in 1980. The misfortune of the UFO houses is said to have been caused by the unfortunate act of bisecting the Chinese dragon sculpture located near the resort gates for widening the road to the buildings, cursing the project.
For almost thirty years, these strange pod-like structures were left to crack, crumble and decay due to acts of nature and vandalism. Smashed, broken buildings and debris were all that remained of Pod City. It’s sad that such unique architecture and design was never enjoyed by any residents. Unfortunately, this favorite of urban explorers and travelers no longer exists.
The UFO houses were demolished in 2008. A petition to try and save at least one of the buildings failed. Apparently a new beach resort and water park is being developed in its place. Looking just like pop culture depictions of alien space pods, they were at least around long enough to serve as a minor tourist attraction and a ghost town for urban explorers.
20. Nakagin Capsule Tower, Tokyo, Japan
The Nakagin Capsule Tower is the world's first capsule architecture built for actual use. Capsule architecture design, establishment of the capsule as room and insertion of the capsule into a mega-structure, expresses its contemporaneousness with other works of liberated architecture from the later 1960's, in particular England's Archigram Group, France's Paul Memon, and Yona Friedman The Nakagin Capsule Tower takes on the challenge of the issue of whether mass production can express a diverse new quality. The Tower also strives to establish a space for the individual as a criticism to the Japan that modernized without undergoing any establishment of a self.
Kurokawa developed the technology to install the capsule units into a concrete core with only 4 high-tension bolts, as well as making the units detachable and replaceable. The capsule is designed to accommodate the individual as either an apartment or studio space, and by connecting units can also accommodate a family. The individual capsules are 2.3 m × 3.8 m x 2.1 m (7.5 ft x 12 ft x 6.9 ft) and include a bed, storage area and a small bathroom, just enough space for one person. The concrete units were prefabricated off site in a factory and shipped to the location upon completion to be attached to central blocks. Each pod was fully equipped, much like a hotel, enabling the residents to live there without the hassle of moving in. A built-in television, fixtures, sheets and even a toothbrush was included in each individual habitat. The interior is then hoisted by crane and fastened to the concrete core shaft. The Nakagin Capsule Tower realizes the ideas of metabolism, exchangeability, recyclability as the prototype of sustainable architecture. The Nakagin Capsule Tower has been short-listed for the World Heritage by the Inter-national Committee of Docomomo International since 1996.
21. he Kettle House, Texas
The Kettle House is situated in Galveston, Texas near to the Gulf Of Mexico. Most structures listed here are on "stilts" but not his one. However despite various weather such as the effective Hurricane Ove in '09, the building has represented some half a century approximately and stands even today. Most likely the architect wasn't this type of goofball and possibly its durability is proof of his design and selection of materials. In the end a sizable and most probably very heavy lump of metal, whilst not impervious towards the wrath of nature, probably has an improved chance than most.
For over half of a century rumors, myths, and urban legends have swirled about the mysterious Kettle House on Galveston Island, and still no one seems to have the facts. MYETX visited the Kettle House a few weeks ago when we were on the Island. Although little is known about the strange structure, the Kettle House is a must-see site.
Steel might seem like a poor choice for a building in such a salty environment, but the structure has weathered hurricanes and storms for over 50 years. The Kettle House is also not on stilts, which is another unusual design element for a structure so close to the ocean. The illusive owner(s) have never been interviewed and even neighbors know little about the man who erected the strange structure on the Gulf of Mexico. The Kettle House stands firm and vacant on the coast, and remains a mystery.
Rumors on the Island suggest the man who is responsible for building the Kettle House used to build storage tanks for oil companies, however, his identity is unknown. The structure is believed to have been constructed during the 1950’s. Some islanders say the Kettle House was constructed out of a silo, which was turned upside down and roofed. One area resident said the building was originally intended to serve as a convenient store, though it never opened.
22. Crazy House, Vietnam (Hang Nga House)
Hang Nga guesthouse, also known as the “Crazy House,” is a piece of artwork that really surpasses the limit of people’s imagination. Designed by Vietnamese architect and impressionist Dang Viet Nga, this extraordinary building of non-rectilinear shapes has appeared in many international architectural journals and finally made its way to the list of the world’s ten most creative buildings (according to the Chinese People’s Daily). The house is located at 3 Huynh Thuc Khang St., Ward 3, Dalat City, covering an area approximately 1,600m2.
As the intention of the architect is to make a fairy tale house, the "crazy house" resembles a tree with uneven windows, tunnel-shaped stairways, etc. Both the exterior and the interior of the guesthouse are created and decorated with twisting organic forms and very few right angles. The hollow "tree" extends in many directions, rising above to reach to the sky of the amazing Dalat. Walking along the cave-shape hallways inside the house is not simply a visit but an exhilarating experience, a departure from the norm; wild mushrooms and spider webs popping up on your way is not unusual. Besides, the guesthouse is really a spectacular construction with ten themed guest rooms such as the tiger room, the eagle room, the ant room and the kangaroo room…, with decorations and handcrafted furniture matching the theme. According to Viet Nga, each room has its own meaning: the tiger room refers to the Chinese; the eagle room describes the American; and the ant room represents the Vietnamese. Even though it is theoretically a hotel, Hang Nga Guesthouse is today regarded as a "museum" of dream, childhood, abnormality, etc. Everyone has their own interpretation of the house, as well as their own experience but all of them agree on one thing: the guesthouse is so pure and natural that they were once again lost in their childhood dream.
23. The Ideal Palace of Ferdinand, France
Le Palais Ideal is one of the most popular examples of naive art architecture, built by Ferdinand Cheval, a French Postman, over a period of 33 years. Cheval began building his Ideal Palace in April 1879. While he was on the job, the postman tripped over a stone and was impressed by its unusual shape. Inspired by the stone, he returned the following day and started gathering more rocks and putting them in his pockets. Over time he began carrying them in baskets and then, in a wheelbarrow.With no architectural skills whatsoever, Ferdinand Cheval managed to build his Ideal Palace, combining several styles and using the Bible and Hingu mythology as inspiration. He spent 20 years on the outer walls alone, binding the stones together with lime, mortar and cement and decorating them with all sorts of chapel and temple models.
Cheval wanted to be buried in his Palais Ideal, but French law didn’t allow it. So he spent the last years of his life building himself an intricate mausoleum, in the cemetery of Hauterives. His palace was recognized as a masterpiece and is now a cultural landmark and one of France’s popular tourist attractions.
24. Wonderworks Pigeon Forge, Tennesse, USA
WonderWorks Pigeon Forge began as a Top Secret research laboratory on a remote island in the Bermuda Triangle. As legend has it, the world’s greatest scientists – led by Professor Wonder – were given the task of creating a man-made tornado and harnessing the POWER of it. During this experiment, something went awry and the power of the tornado was unleashed throughout the laboratory. This created a swirling vortex that was strong enough to rip the laboratory from its foundation. It was carried thousands of miles away and landed upside-down on the top of a theater in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Remarkably, all of the experiments remained intact and functional.
When you enter the building, everything will be upside-down, so in order to participate in the fun, you must be inverted. Step inside the inversion tunnel and be turned right side up to begin your journey. Once you are properly aligned for your adventure, family fun awaits with more than 100 hands on exhibits. Feel hurricane force winds, be shaken by a 6.0 simulated earthquake, discover space exploration, put yourself inside a bubble, climb the largest indoor ropes challenge course standing 50ft tall and much more. Don’t forget to upgrade to a combo package and stay for the #1 magic shows in the Smokies. Presented by Terry Evanswood, an award winning entertainer. It’s the best value in town! Make Wonder Works a stop on your Things to Do list when visiting Pigeon Forge.
25. Mind House, Barcelona, Spain
The most popular work of the famous architect Gaudi in Barcelona is Park Güell, located just a few steps from Gracia, on a hill in the suburb of Vallcarca. In 1900 Euzebi Guell bought this hill in order to arrange there a private garden city in English style. The areas in the park were designed to be sold for building the mansions and all the infrastructure and public places Guell commissioned to Gaudi. However, the project failed: for those who wanted to live in Barcelona, the park was too far from the center, but for those who wished to live outside the city it was too close. As a result, Güell’s heirs sold the hill to city authorities, who opened the park to the public.
The gate of the park is framed with two gingerbread houses; one is topped with the toadstool, the other has a toadstool and a cross-shaped window on the front wall. This house is called the Mind House, which is considered to be in the list of top 10 creative buildings of the world. The house has three floors and an attic, its roof is studded and painted in a checked white and gray pattern. Mind House looks like a fairy tale dwelling, although its primary purpose today is hosting a gallery. Outside the gates there are wide staircase with the fountains, Catalonian coat of arms and a huge mosaic lizard, which has become the symbol of Barcelona. Staircase leads to the top of the hill where the huge terrace is positioned, surrounded by the long winding bench. The park terrace serves as a roof for the hall, embed in the hill, which vaults support 86 Doric columns.
The Mind House-museum of Gaudi was open in the building, exhibiting personal property and other private items of the architect, sketches of projects he didn’t have time to implement, and furniture, designed by him for the Guell Palace, Calvet and Batlló House.
26. Crooked House, Poland
With a passion for the built environment, Tiffany loves to find inspiring buildings and try to gain an understanding of the meaning behind unique designs. The Crooked House in Sopot, Poland definitely encompasses the meaning of unusual architecture. It is understood that Architect Szotynscy Zaleski was inspired by Jan Marcin Szancer’s and Per Dahlberg’s illustrations for children’s fairytales. Looking at the images of the building would make anyone feel as though they were in an enchanted world and yet somewhat exhausted and perhaps a little dizzy.
Completed in 2003, The Crooked House is situated on a frequently visited promenade with other specialty shops and restaurants. The building is approximately 43,000 square feet and includes colorful stained glass, sandstone, and blue-green enameled roof shingles. While any implemented sustainability measures are uncertain, we hope that due to the uniqueness of the building’s design and the certainty of it remaining an architectural treasure for a long period of time that long-term sustainability goals were considered to ensure continued success with minimal impact on our environment.
27. Pickle Barrel House
The Pioneer Cooperage Company of Chicago designed this small vacation cottage, which stood on the shores of nearby Sable Lake from 1926 until about 1937. It was built for William Donahey, creator of the Chicago Tribune cartoon story The Teenie Weenies. The house was constructed as a typical barrel would have been, only on a much larger scale. The main barrel contained a living area on the first floor and a bedroom on the second. A pantry connected this barrel to a smaller single-story one, which housed a kitchen.
Donahey spent ten summers at the cottage with his wife, Mary, herself a noted author of children’s books. The structure was then moved to its current site and used as a tourist information center. The Pickle Barrel House is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. William Donahey’s widely syndicated comic, The Teenie Weenies, debuted in the Chicago Tribune in 1914 and continued until the creator’s death in 1970. The cartoon story featured miniature people who lived in a world of life-sized objects that to them were enormous. The popularity of these playful characters led to a contract for Donahey with the Chicago firm of Reid, Murdoch and Company, which hired the artist to create packaging and advertising for its line of food products. The Pickle Barrel House was a large-scale version of the miniature oak casks in which the company’s Monarch-brand pickles were sold, and was likely intended as an advertisement for their pickle products.
28. UCSD Geisel Library
Geisel Library has been called a ‘lantern-like library held aloft on concrete fingers’ (Britton, AIA). I’ve also heard a religious myth weaved into the story of its visual representation from an aerial view. Apparently, one interpretation of its architecture calls for Geisel as representative of an apple from above, reminiscent of the Garden of Eden from Genesis. The mosaic snake path on the east side of the library metaphorically represents temptation.
Regardless of one’s personal interpretation of Geisel’s external architecture, it’s popped up commonly in mainstream media. UCSD students have most commonly seen the Snow Fortress of the popular 2010 film, Inception based upon none other than our home library at UCSD. But Geisel Library and Warren Mall have also made an appearance in the once-popular television show, Veronica Mars. It’s also been seen in some more popular films such as Mission Impossible, as well as some lesser-known works, such as Simon & Simon, The Citadel, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, Funky Monkey, The Proud American, and Kaboom.
Most of us UCSD students take the Geisel Library's architecture for granted - we study in this place for hours on end during midterms and finals week. We groan when we have to wait a few agonizing minutes for its two elevators to creak up and down the six floors of the Geisel Library tower. This building is definitely one of the most unique I’ve seen in recent years, and is widely known. But when it’s seen in popular culture, perhaps no one gets more excited to see it than the students of UCSD, who generally take our home library for granted.
29. La Lavadora (Washing machine), Mexico
Presence of home appliances in every household is a very common sight, but presence of a gigantic washing machine in a city is a great art work. One such structure rose using the design of washing machine is Calakmul present at the Mexico city. This building is located in the newest and modern northwest district of the Mexico City, Santa Fe. The building was officially named Calakmul after an important pre-Hispanic Mayan city, one of the largest and most powerful ancient cities of Maya civilization. The complex Calakmul consists of two buildings: high-rise washing machine and the second - pyramidal type building. The Mexicans call the high-rise building "La Lavadora" (Washing machine). Indeed, without doubt the goal of the architect Agustín Hernández Navarro was to create a huge washing machine modern building. This building with its white exterior walls and brilliant mirrored effect windows gives the real purity and freshness to the passers. By the way, the buildings shape of automatic washing machine is not accidental: it is a highly intelligent complex with 100 % automated functions of security systems, telecommunications and utilities. Thus this structure is an iconic figure at the heart of the city and the spectators are enthralled by the design.
30. Wall House, Netherlands
Originally designed in 1973 for Ed Bye, in Ridgefield, Connecticut USA, for a long time it only existed as a concept until Groningen decided to actually build the house. Designed to place living in the context of time by means of a Wall symbolizing physical transition from past to future through the present, a transition between back and front, closed and open. The Wall, one-and-a-half m. thick, forms the basis of the house. The entrance and living elements literally hang from it. To reinforce this idea, a narrow gap is left between the Wall and the elements. Hence the Wall is not directly manifest in the interior but can only be perceived visually. It is a theoretical house, based on the idea of the physical confrontation between space and time, elaborated in separate elements. It is a muse logical manifestation of an important architectural concept. Although it wasn't designed for this particular site, it does enter into a dialogue with its 'everyday' surroundings.
31. Russia's glorified barn (Wooden Gagster House)
The house of Nikolai Sutyagin, gangster an ex-convict, stands 13 floors tall and is an dramatic sight against the barren Russian landscape. Arkhangelsk, Russia is home to the tallest wooden structure in the world. It was built in 1992 by Sutyagin, to show his neighbors who the wealthiest man in the city was.This impressive house can easily accommodate 18 people and makes for the perfect love nest. Unfortunately for Sutyagin, fortune and fame was short lived, today, he and his wife is wife is broke, and his house ‘broken’. Sutyagin now lives in four poorly heated rooms at the bottom of his crumbling log cabin with his wife. The house is constantly threatened of being demolished by the government, according to authorities. The building spoils the town's panoramic view, is a fire hazard and can become unsafe since it is falling apart.
32. Dome House, Florida, USA
The home is a Monolithic Dome Structure and is the perfect property for the hurricane prone Florida coastline. The website Monolithic has a vast store of information about these fascinating structures. Monolithic Domes are constructed following a method that requires a tough, inflatable Air form, steel-reinforced concrete and polyurethane foam insulation. Each of these ingredients is used in a technologically specific way ... Monolithic Domes meet FEMA standards for providing near-absolute protection and have a proven ability to survive tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, most manmade disasters, fire, termites and rot. Not just innovative on the outside the 3200 square-foot Sigler home is also high-tech on the inside including holographic "fires" in the fireplaces and air conditioners in each room. The home spans three levels and includes large balconies where the Sigler's can take advantage of the wonderful ocean views.
The Dome of a Home as the Sigler's dub their now iconic home has been the subject of a huge amount of press and media attention over the years. Perhaps the most notable was when Hurricane Ivan threatened the Florida coast in 2004. Jonathan Zimmerman, the architect behind the Dome of a Home which was constructed in 2003. The Sigler house is without doubt one of the best architectural work by him.
References
World's Most Creative Buildings.com
www.atlasobscura.com/places/longaberger-basket-home-office
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