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66 Architectural Oddities Look Straight Out Of A Fantasy World, Yet People Can Actually Visit Them
I’m kind of a nerd and the son of an architect, so when I travel around the world, one of the first things that calls my attention is the architecture. If you add good food and awesome nature, you get yourself the perfect trip.
Some architects design buildings with surprising shapes, sharp angles, unusual proportions, and styles that ignore the usual rules. Seeing them in person is an experience. From some angles, these buildings might even remind you of digital art or a video game scene.
From futuristic towers to quirky houses and buildings that play tricks on your eyes, these examples prove that reality can be stranger than fiction. We’ve gathered some of the world’s most unusual buildings, and you might have to look twice to believe they’re real.
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#1
Kansas City Library. A Library Which Looks Like A Bookshelf
Michael Largey 1 day ago
How long until the local MAGA starts protesting the books chosen? "Invisible Man", "To K**l A Mockingbird", ...
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#2
Thorncrown Chapel, Arkansas
Jeff White 1 day ago
Now this is truly cool AND fake looking at the same time. Excellent post.
#3
Building Made Without Cutting Down 326 Year Old Tree
Janissary35680 1 day ago
I've seen many examples of this (though none quite as spectacular) in Turkey. Turks have a particular affection for trees and elderly ones especially can be legally declared "Protected Monuments". When the Ottoman Çırağan Palace (destroyed by fire in 1910) was restored and converted into a hotel in 1988-1989, a tree that had grown up in one of the marble gateways of the palace during the years since the fire was removed. The removal caused a storm of public protest that was eventually placated by an apology, an explanation, and the planting of new trees.
#4
Just A Music School In China
#5
Teapot Dome Service Station, Zillah Wa
Panda-sized Potato 1 day ago
I'm a little tea pot, short and stout. Here is my handle. Here is my gas spout.
#7
Itap Of The Delhi Lotus Temple At The Perfect Time
#8
Eco Building In Singapore
Saint_Zipcodus (oh / no) 1 day ago
While the 'vertical green space' concept doesn't seem to be the most sustainable, it's still nice to see architects and city planners catching on to the fact that plants make city life better.
#9
The Dorilton, A 1900 Beaux Arts Residential Building Designed By The Firm Janes & Leo On The Upper West Side Of Manhattan, New York City
John Dilligaf 1 day ago
why can't we have buildings like this now, instead of the soul-less steel, glass , and concrete boxes we have
#10
The House Of Bones/Casa Dels Ossos (Casa Battlo 7)
#11
This Airbnb I Stayed At In Mexico Was Shaped Like Two Seashells!
#13
Heydar Aliyev Centre, Baku Azerbaijan – Zaha Hadid Architects
Willem Andries Oosterhof 1 day ago
A bit sad to know Hadid is no longer with us to design buildings like this.
#14
Bulb Houses In Den Bosch / The Netherlands
#15
Longaberger Basket Hq - Newark, Oh (USA)
MaggieMay85 1 day ago
Maybe someone will buy it and make it into a mental health facility. I would name it “The Basket Case”.
#16
Kindergarten Wolfartsweier In Karlsruhe, Germany Is A School In The Shape Of A Cat To Encourage Children To Go To School
#17
Inntel Hotels Amsterdam Centre, Netherlands
#18
Dancing House, Designed By Vlado Milunić And Frank Gehry - Prague, Czechia
#19
A Building Built Into The Side Of A Cliff
#21
The Norman Lykes House, Or Circular Sun House. Designed By Frank Lloyd Wright In 1959, The Last Work Of His Life. Phoenix, Arizona
#22
The Crooked House In Sopot, Poland
#23
National Fisheries Development Board (Nfdb) Building - Hyderabad, India
#24
A Medieval-Style Castle Has Been Under Construction In France Since 1997, Built Entirely Using 13th-Century Techniques As Part Of An Archaeology Project. The Guéledon Castle Is Expected To Be Completed In 2030
Saint_Zipcodus (oh / no) 1 day ago
There are several interesting documentaries out there about this project, if you're interested in experimental archaeology.
#25
Bolgen Vejle
#27
This Building Looks Like It Was Built In Minecraft!
#28
Weirdest Structure I've Seen So Far
#29
Banyan Treehouse: A Restaurant In Okinawa, Japan
#30
Crazy House, Da Lat, Vietnam 🇻🇳
#31
Szymbark, Poland, First Upside Down House In Europe
#32
Turning Torso, Malmö, Sweden 🇸🇪
#33
One Of The Most Bizarre Buildings I've Ever Seen, And And The Reason I Decided To Go To Art School Is This 'Floating' Building Above The Old Ontario College Of Art
Elladine DesIsles 2 days ago
This is a few blocks from me, the Sharp Centre for Design at what is now OCAD University. I'm not a fan, though I'll concede it looks better from the other side, where there is greenspace.
#34
This 1000-Ton Tuned Mass Damper At The Top Of Shanghai Tower (632m) Stabilizes The Skyscraper During Earthquake And Typhoon By Counteracting The Building’s Sway
#35
The "Tondo" Footbridge (Brussels, Belgium). Designed For Accessibility And Security, This Mirrored Ring Connects Old And New Parliamentary Buildings
#36
An Abandoned Potato Sorting Station Near Krasnosilka, Ukraine With An Unusual, Cantilevered Design. The Concrete Block At The End Forms The Counterweight Of The Structure, Creating The Impression It Floats Over The Fields
#37
This Is Known As The Dr. Seuss House Here In Alaska. But I Think The Weasley House Sounds More Accurate
#38
Dog Bark Park, Cottonwood, Idaho
Janissary35680 1 day ago
Before the Greeks hit on the Horse, they tried the Trojan Dog. It didn't work.
#40
Big Duck 2018
#42
The King Power Mahanakhon In Bangkok Is Recognized As One Of Thailand’s Tallest Buildings
#43
Kunsthaus (Art House) Graz Art Museum (AKA The "Friendly Alien"), Graz, Austria - 2003. Designed By Colin Fournier And Sir Peter Cook
#44
Lax Theme Building (1961)
Panda-sized Potato 1 day ago
It had a restaurant at one point, but now houses the Bob Hope USO.
#46
Habitat 67, Montreal, Moshe Safdie, Brutalism
#47
Brussels, Belgium: Atomium, 'Europe's Most Bizarre Building', Built For The Brussels World's Fair 1958 (Expo 58), André Waterkeyn, André And Jean Polak
Jeff Brock 1 day ago
About 20 years ago, they cleaned it up and fixed everything. Before that, going up the interior escalators was scary AF
#48
Noticed Someone Posted A Picture Of The Sphere In Vegas. Took This One As I Was Crossing A Bridge
Panda-sized Potato 1 day ago
I stay at the Harrah when in Vegas. Sometimes they give us a room where you can see The Sphere. One time, it was projecting a giant eye. It looked at me. Those curtains never opened again on that trip.
#49
This Old Picture Of A Building Under Construction
#50
Pod House Detail, Perinton, New York
#52
Weisman Art Museum 2015
#53
Shoehouse
#54
Air Force Academy Chapel, Colorado Springs, Colorado
#55
National Centre For The Performing Arts
#56
This Building In Hongkong
#57
Free Spirit Spheres
#58
Museo Soumaya Plaza
Cathy Jo Baker 1 day ago
Mexico City, a free art museum owned by Carlos Slim. I've been here several times, and hate this building, although I love what's inside. Worth a visit.
#59
Metropolitan Cathedral Of São Sebastião
#60
Marina Bay Sands From Gardens By The Bay (South)
#64
Smith Mansion Wyoming
BarkingSquirell 1 day ago
The guy d!ed building it when he fell off of the roof at the age of 48. Locals call it "The Crazy House."
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What do you think ?
Lady Eowyn 1 day ago
Location date for ALL of these should have been provided. city/state/country.
Pamina 1 day ago
I like seeing these kind of images, BUT I want to see some info about them! Although I can google it, it's BP's job to do it right - right?
BarkingSquirell 1 day ago
Some of us do our best to find out, google it and then share but it would be nice if it could be a group effort once in awhile.
Load More Replies...
Hyper NerdGirl 15 hours ago
Lazy journalism. So many of these have no information on location.
Lady Eowyn 1 day ago
Location date for ALL of these should have been provided. city/state/country.
Pamina 1 day ago
I like seeing these kind of images, BUT I want to see some info about them! Although I can google it, it's BP's job to do it right - right?
BarkingSquirell 1 day ago
Some of us do our best to find out, google it and then share but it would be nice if it could be a group effort once in awhile.
Load More Replies... Hyper NerdGirl 15 hours ago
Lazy journalism. So many of these have no information on location.
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