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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
Building Made Without Cutting Down 326 Year Old Tree
Janissary35680 2 hours 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.
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#2
Eco Building In Singapore
Saint_Zipcodus (oh / no) 8 hours 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.
#3
Thorncrown Chapel, Arkansas
Jeff White 14 hours ago
Now this is truly cool AND fake looking at the same time. Excellent post.
#4
Kansas City Library. A Library Which Looks Like A Bookshelf
#6
Itap Of The Delhi Lotus Temple At The Perfect Time
#7
Teapot Dome Service Station, Zillah Wa
Panda-sized Potato 14 hours ago
I'm a little tea pot, short and stout. Here is my handle. Here is my gas spout.
#9
The House Of Bones/Casa Dels Ossos (Casa Battlo 7)
#10
Just A Music School In China
#11
Inntel Hotels Amsterdam Centre, Netherlands
#12
This Airbnb I Stayed At In Mexico Was Shaped Like Two Seashells!
#13
Dancing House, Designed By Vlado Milunić And Frank Gehry - Prague, Czechia
#14
This Building Looks Like It Was Built In Minecraft!
#15
The Dorilton, A 1900 Beaux Arts Residential Building Designed By The Firm Janes & Leo On The Upper West Side Of Manhattan, New York City
#16
Bolgen Vejle
#17
Heydar Aliyev Centre, Baku Azerbaijan – Zaha Hadid Architects
#18
Turning Torso, Malmö, Sweden 🇸🇪
#19
A Building Built Into The Side Of A Cliff
#21
Longaberger Basket Hq - Newark, Oh (USA)
MaggieMay85 2 hours ago
Maybe someone will buy it and make it into a mental health facility. I would name it “The Basket Case”.
#22
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
#23
The Crooked House In Sopot, Poland
#25
Szymbark, Poland, First Upside Down House In Europe
#26
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 16 hours 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.
#27
The "Tondo" Footbridge (Brussels, Belgium). Designed For Accessibility And Security, This Mirrored Ring Connects Old And New Parliamentary Buildings
#28
Weirdest Structure I've Seen So Far
#29
The King Power Mahanakhon In Bangkok Is Recognized As One Of Thailand’s Tallest Buildings
#30
Kunsthaus (Art House) Graz Art Museum (AKA The "Friendly Alien"), Graz, Austria - 2003. Designed By Colin Fournier And Sir Peter Cook
#31
Kindergarten Wolfartsweier In Karlsruhe, Germany Is A School In The Shape Of A Cat To Encourage Children To Go To School
#32
The Norman Lykes House, Or Circular Sun House. Designed By Frank Lloyd Wright In 1959, The Last Work Of His Life. Phoenix, Arizona
#36
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 2 hours ago
About 20 years ago, they cleaned it up and fixed everything. Before that, going up the interior escalators was scary AF
#37
Noticed Someone Posted A Picture Of The Sphere In Vegas. Took This One As I Was Crossing A Bridge
Panda-sized Potato 13 hours 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.
#38
This Building In Hongkong
#39
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
#40
Banyan Treehouse: A Restaurant In Okinawa, Japan
#41
Weisman Art Museum 2015
#42
Habitat 67, Montreal, Moshe Safdie, Brutalism
Marilyn Holt 1 hour ago
much bigger than this picture shows. Still in use with lots of greenery. An exceptional housing idea.
#43
This Old Picture Of A Building Under Construction
#45
Lax Theme Building (1961)
Panda-sized Potato 13 hours ago
It had a restaurant at one point, but now houses the Bob Hope USO.
#46
This Is Known As The Dr. Seuss House Here In Alaska. But I Think The Weasley House Sounds More Accurate
#47
Dog Bark Park, Cottonwood, Idaho
Janissary35680 1 hour ago
Before the Greeks hit on the Horse, they tried the Trojan Dog. It didn't work.
#52
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) 8 hours ago
There are several interesting documentaries out there about this project, if you're interested in experimental archaeology.
#55
Shoehouse
#56
Museo Soumaya Plaza
Cathy Jo Baker 1 hour 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.
#62
Air Force Academy Chapel, Colorado Springs, Colorado
#64
Marina Bay Sands From Gardens By The Bay (South)
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What do you think ?
Susan Booth 1 hour ago
ʀᴇᴍᴏᴛᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ɪꜱɴ'ᴛ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴀ ᴛʀᴇɴᴅ, ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴜᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴡᴏʀᴋ. ᴡᴏʀᴋ ʀᴇᴍᴏᴛᴇʟʏ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ ʜᴏᴜꜱᴇ. ᴡᴇ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴛʏᴘɪɴɢ ꜱᴋɪʟʟꜱ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ 120ᴜꜱᴅ/ʜʀ. ɴᴏ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ. ʟᴇᴛ'ꜱ ɢʀᴏᴡ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ, ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪꜰ ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ꜰᴀʀ ᴀᴘᴀʀᴛ… COPY HERE➤➤ 𝙋𝙖𝙮𝘼𝙩𝙃𝙤𝙢𝙚𝟭.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Lady Eowyn 1 hour ago
Location date for ALL of these should have been provided. city/state/country.
Susan Booth 1 hour ago
ʀᴇᴍᴏᴛᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ɪꜱɴ'ᴛ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴀ ᴛʀᴇɴᴅ, ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴜᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴡᴏʀᴋ. ᴡᴏʀᴋ ʀᴇᴍᴏᴛᴇʟʏ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ ʜᴏᴜꜱᴇ. ᴡᴇ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴛʏᴘɪɴɢ ꜱᴋɪʟʟꜱ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ 120ᴜꜱᴅ/ʜʀ. ɴᴏ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ. ʟᴇᴛ'ꜱ ɢʀᴏᴡ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ, ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪꜰ ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ꜰᴀʀ ᴀᴘᴀʀᴛ… COPY HERE➤➤ 𝙋𝙖𝙮𝘼𝙩𝙃𝙤𝙢𝙚𝟭.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Lady Eowyn 1 hour ago
Location date for ALL of these should have been provided. city/state/country.
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