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30 Times Architects Made Buildings That Looked Unique But Were Uncomfortable To Live In (New Pics)
The world has its share of beautiful and ugly buildings. In the middle, there are ordinary and dull ones. And then, in a category entirely of their own, are the truly bizarre ones—the kind you need to see to believe.
When architects have complete freedom in their designs, things can get weird. Just like how we used to create crazy buildings with LEGO bricks as kids, the r/bizarrebuildings subreddit features architects bringing their wildest dreams to life. We've chosen some of our new favorite posts from the Reddit community to show you these unique designs and to bring about either light-hearted amusement or strong opinions.
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Netherlands Beauty
It's the pancake restaurant in the Hans & Grietje (Hansl and Gretl) amusement park in the Netherlands (Zeewolde).
The Reddit group has 158k members who share unique, bizarre, and stunning buildings. Ever thought of living in a crooked house or taking your children to a kindergarten shaped like a cat? Though it might be fascinating until monotony sets in or the discomfort becomes overwhelming.
Brick Expressionism In Frankfurt, Germany
Furniture Shop In Colombia
Architecture is about designing buildings of all sizes and shapes, from small sheds to tall skyscrapers. It's important to blend form and function, making sure buildings are both attractive and fit their purpose while being safe.
Whale Museum That Looks Like A Whale In Norway
Mid-Century House Built Over A River In New Canaan, Connecticut
Don't understand why it would be uncomfortable to life there. It doesn't look very uncomfortable to me.
This Looks Like Candy
A building's appearance is shaped by its purpose, architectural style, and available materials and technology. Different types of buildings, like homes, offices, and religious structures, vary in size, shape, and design to fulfill their unique functions.
Residential Neighborhood Near Zurich, Switzerland
Azadi (Freedom) Tower, Tehran, Iran
This Church In Reykjavik
It's a church. Nobody "lives" here, right? (See listicle title...)
Recent times have seen the creation of a diverse range of buildings, spanning from the merely odd to the truly unique. This shift in architectural style is largely attributed to architects' creative visions, backed by technological advancements. The once-restricting factors of precise measurements have been transformed with innovations like Virtual Reality (VR), which not only visualize complex designs but also streamline construction processes.
The Round House Wilton - 1968
Casa Batlló, Barcelona, Spain
Alpine Refuge From World War I Located At 2760 Meters, Monte Cristallo, Italy
Technology in architecture comes in different forms, and smartphones are a prime example of this evolution. Architects now rely on apps throughout the project, from start to finish, which helps them better serve their clients.
Colin's Barn, Chedglow, England
There's A Huge Open Market In The Netherlands With Apartments Inside
Beckham Creek Cave Lodge, Arkansas
In the United Arab Emirates and China, companies are showing the potential of robotics, collaborative robotics, and large-scale 3D printing in architecture. Autodesk, a software company, is also working on making design-to-fabrication more accessible and enabling the creation of complex structures with less energy.
Duck House, UK
Modern Cabin For Rent In Norway
Just imagine leaving something downstairs or the 2nd grocery bag trip... Grrrr
Casa Torta, Brazil
Urban design is more than just looks. Studies suggest that growing up in a city doubles the chances of developing schizophrenia and increases the risk of other mental disorders like depression and chronic anxiety. According to the BBC, "The main trigger appears to be what researchers call 'social stress' – the lack of social bonding and cohesion in neighborhoods. Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg at the University of Heidelberg has shown that urban living can change brain biology in some people, resulting in reduced gray matter in the right dosolateral prefrontal cortex and the perigenual anterior cingulate cortex, two areas where changes have previously been linked to early-life stressful experiences."
It's All One House!
Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, CA. A bit tourist-trap-ish, but absolutely amazingly bizarre inside. https://what3words.com/heap.transfers.tall
Building Loading... 89%
The MahaNakhon in Bangkok. Tallest building in Thailand. It's decor is much nicer than shown here, that's just a bad photo. bangkok-ta...d6c4bc.jpg
Supertree Grove, Singapore
Nowadays, psychology studies help us understand the urban places that people enjoy and find exciting. Studies found that the way buildings look and having access to green areas can affect how we feel emotionally. As Winston Churchill once said, "We shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us."
Hole House Or Villa Vals, Switzerland
This was featured on a series on BBC2 here in the UK, Extraordinary Houses, and inside it’s beautiful.it’s an amazing house.
This Building In The Philippines That Looks Like A Ship And Has A Korean Restaurant And A Cafe "Onboard"
I live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. I remember, when I was a kid (I’m 62 now) that there was a seafood restaurant, I think in Lower Delaware near the beach, that was actually built inside a grounded ship. As a kid I thought it was cool. Food was good too. Wonder if it’s still there.
The Steel House, Lubbock, Texas
Talking and spending time with others is really important for keeping your mind healthy. Same goes for urban design: "Social interaction is often achieved by concentrating groups of people in a single node or landmark so that it is suggested they interact with each other. Strategies for urban design to accommodate this can include higher density development, so that more people are concentrated in an area," shares Jonathan Monfries in his research paper 'The Psychological Effects of Urban Design.'
Kring Kumho Culture Complex
Robert Downey Jr.’s Inflatable Malibu Bungalow
Forcing This Road To Surround Their House
Making sure someone is physically healthy often helps their mental health too. Having enough public spaces in cities makes it easy for people to find places to be active. A study by Roe (2016) backs this up by showing that having green spaces in cities is good for people with mental health issues like stress, anxiety, and depression. Adding more trees, small parks, and even outdoor exercise equipment, especially in the city center, can really help improve how people feel and act, and make their overall mental wellbeing better.
Brick Facade For A Bookstore In Korea
Transcendence, Keith Jellum (1998). Public Art Installation In Portland, Oregon
I feel like the places featured here stray farther and farther away from the title of this post. But the pictures featured are pretty interesting to look at!
Building Shaped Like A Bulldozer; Turlock, Ca
The way we feel and act each day can be really affected by how we travel around the city. It can shape our mood and how we behave when we go to work and when we come back home. The things around us always have an impact on our thoughts. Making sure a city has good transportation and ways to connect is helpful. This can make traveling to work, especially on public transit, less stressful and make it easier to reach places and services. When transportation works well, it can lower stress and anxiety, which makes living in the city much smoother.
A Smart Passive House With Green Roof In Moscow, Russia By Snegiri Architects
The Juilliard School For Music In New York City
Built In The 18th Century, This Is One Of The Oldest Buildings In Hattfjelldal Municipality In Norland, Norway
We hope this gave you some food for thought and showed how buildings can connect with human psychology. To see more interesting pictures of unusual buildings, just keep scrolling. And if you're curious for more, take a look at our earlier post on the topic here.
Japan
Building In Germany, This Is Just A Painting, The Walls Are Straight. Perfect Illusion
Architecture Of Barcelona
Wencheng Hotel In Yantai City
Lyon Airport Train Station, Lyon, France
This Is The Grasshopper Cafe In South Korea Made Out Of Train Cars
Snake Shaped Temple In India Dedicated To Lord Krishna
Stunning Abandoned House In Isère, France
Kindergarten "Die Katze" In Karlsruhe, Germany, By Artist Tomi Ungerer And Architect Ayla-Suzan Yndel, 2011
Holocaust Memorial In Kaunas
Wow! This is is remarkable. No piece of art can show the true horror of the Holocaust, but this somehow conveys a real feeling of angst and agony. One of the few pieces of modern sculptures that actually stirs feelings in me, even if the artist would probably scoff at my "interpretation".
When Your Neighbor Has An Evil Lair
Cambodian Homestead
Half Of The National Gallery Of Denmark Is Grafted On To The Original 1889 Building. All Of This Is Indoors
East Meets West In A Hybrid Building In An Unfinished Theme Park In Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
Old photo. They resumed work in 2021 and finished in early 2022, after years of abandonment. Those "culture park" are very appreciated in China, where most of the population is not wealthy enough to travel abroad, so these parks provide what they perceive as the experience of visiting Paris, Rome, Venice etc... To someone ho actually knows those places, it's quite cringe and surrealistic.
Happy House By Dan Witz In Brooklyn
Taipei Performing Arts Center
Maybe its the new X-Men Headquarter with this sphere Xavier sits in to locate other mutants? 🧑🦽💆♂️😅
Aerial Shot Of The City Of Kyoto, Hisa
Hotel Lisboa, Macao
Ow-Energy Organic House Design With Wild Slate Roof In Germany
Science And Technology Museum, Wuhan
I wonder when the Covid exhibition opens?
King Alfred's Tower In England, Built In 1772
What If All Buildings Had Heads Outside Of Them?
Inhabited Natural Rock Formations In Göreme, Turkey
A Monument In Armenia
Fire drills must be a b***h, though. Funneling everyone down into that tiny exit area.
Seocho Garak Tower East (130 M, 24 Stories), Seoul, South Korea, Completed In 2011
Twisted Chimney - Bute Town, Wales
Winning Design For Shenzhen's Natural History Museum
As per my comment on the same exact image over 1 year ago: "That is a rendering from the project who won the design competition in 2020. Nothing has been built yet. The place is not so natural and beautiful, it is a cramped park inbetween a commercial developement, an industrial area and the Pingshan District housing 300.000 people." 2023 update: they have not yet broken ground, and likely never will.
Sanaa, Yemen
L'ile Fllottante (Abidjan, Ivory Coast)
“Colorful Desert House” (Render) Sonora, Mexico
"Flintstone House," Declared "Public Nuisance," Now Allowed To Keep Colorful
We drive past this house for years now, its amazing!!!! Keep the color!
House On A Leg, Hamburg, Germany
Apart from the anxiety about tipping over, the house itself looks normal and prob isnt uncomfortable.
Dancing House, When I Was In Prague A Few Years Back
Accidental House, By Eric Perriard
$ 200 Million Ghost Town Of Castles In Mudurnu, Turkey
Yick Fat Building, Hong Kong, Shot By Me On 35mm Film
The Whale Car Wash, Formerly Located At Nw 50th St. & Meridian Ave. In Oklahoma City (Photo By John Margolies, 1979)
We Call It “The Cheese Grater”. It’s A Medical Research Lab
An Artist's House In Chicago
Studio City, Macau
"Twisted House" In Indianapolis, In
National Museum Of Qatar
Container House In The Desert
Parasitic Architecture By Artist Mark Reigelman And Architect Jenny Chapman, In San Francisco
Still Standing In Canterbury, UK
Police Station In Brakel, Belgium, Designed By Org In 2009
Let’s not bother with a sign, we’ll just put massive police officers to hold it up..
Tencent Building, Shenzhen, China
Apartments In Amsterdam
99 Dome Mosque, Makassar
Torres De Colón, In Madrid, Was Built From Top To Bottom
Telemax Broadcasting Tower, Germany
I Mean… Good That They Didn’t Cut The Tree?
Fallen Star
These Are Real Houses. Located In Encinitas, California
Do Bizarre Bridges Count? Linjiang Bridge In Wuhu City, China
A 1909 Apartment Building Designed And Built By A Local Brick Mason. Chicago
The Entrance To Frankfurt Subway Station Looks Like A Crash
Kind of counterintuitive from an advertising standpoint, don’t you think? Otherwise, I love the dark humor.
Ps4 Pro Looks Remarkably Like A Toronto Building. 325 Front St W. Built 1982
Im Intimidated
Industry City Building - Sunset Park, Brooklyn
"Penthouse" - Nairobi, Kenya
This Building In Atrani, Italy Has Some Of The Weirdest Architecture I've Ever Seen
Enough Solar Panels To Power The Town
Niterói Contemporary Art Museum, Brazil, Designed By Oscar Niemeyer In 1991
Thyssenkrupp Elevators Test Tower In Zhongshan, China
12 Ugly Ducks By Victor Enrich
Chrysler Pavilion At The New York World's Fair, 1964
Changjiang Media Building, Wuhan, China
Rotterdam Is Both Beautiful And Bizarre
Do You Want Neoclassical Or Modern? - Yes
This Building Looks Like It Was Designed In Microsoft Word
Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center For Brain Health, Las Vegas, Nevada USA
Traffic Police Station, Vasylivka, Ukraine. Built In The 1960s
Unfortunately, right now about 11km behind the front line, in the area occupied by the Russians. Here it was back in 2015 when the google car came by: https://www.google.com/maps/@47.4466026,35.2844703,3a,75y,348.94h,90.91t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1shcsx7LCe_bf7RRVkq6ghsw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?entry=ttu
This Church In Rowayton, Ct
Grand Lisboa Hotel, China
Druzhba Holiday Center, Yalta, Ukraine
Again, in a fire people would jump rather than be crushed and burn trying to get out by trying to funnel through that tiny exit area in a panic.
Montreal Decorated The Little House That Sits Atop An Abandoned Factory For The Holidays
Some Apartments In Inwood, Upper Manhattan, NYC
Luxury Hotel Or Collapsed Pile Of Sheet Metal?
Tesla Tower Russia
The Plane Shaped "Coronado Hotel" In Antalya, Turkey
Casa Beretta, Val D'aosta, Italy, Designed By Mario Galvagni In 1967
India's Research Base In Antarctica
An Apartment Building That Popped Up In Krasnodar, Russia
Canadian Museum For Human Rights - Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Clearly the right to beautiful architecture doesn’t exist
Ex-Overpass, Now An Exchange Office
L’arbre Blanc (The White Tree) Residential Tower, Montpellier, France
This House With At Least 5 Different Styles In Kassel, Germany
Conservatory, Montreuil, France
1.0 (Somewhere In China)
Just Why?
BP I BEG YOU make titles that cover the content!!!! A lot of these buildings are not uncomfortable to live in or even intended to live in, it's not about that AT ALL. The subject is interesting architecture. PLEASE. Thank you.
I think they missed the Atomium. I mean it just looks so impractical https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomium IMG_1040-6...e814d.jpeg
Although I do not know how to reconcile the title with the content, after the so called "Culture Critic" debackle of a few days ago, I'd like to thank BP for putting together a realistic view of what architecture is like nowadays with a really wide range of examples.
I agree with Diola here. There was a post about brutalism in architecture recently, it was written awesomely! With explanations and interesting facts. As a non-architect, I don't get where is it bad in some photos. There are obviously tasteless buildings, but not all of them are.
Articles like this are fun and interesting. Copypasta from Redit and TikTok ShitTok videos are not. Please let's have more like this!
BP I BEG YOU make titles that cover the content!!!! A lot of these buildings are not uncomfortable to live in or even intended to live in, it's not about that AT ALL. The subject is interesting architecture. PLEASE. Thank you.
I think they missed the Atomium. I mean it just looks so impractical https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomium IMG_1040-6...e814d.jpeg
Although I do not know how to reconcile the title with the content, after the so called "Culture Critic" debackle of a few days ago, I'd like to thank BP for putting together a realistic view of what architecture is like nowadays with a really wide range of examples.
I agree with Diola here. There was a post about brutalism in architecture recently, it was written awesomely! With explanations and interesting facts. As a non-architect, I don't get where is it bad in some photos. There are obviously tasteless buildings, but not all of them are.
Articles like this are fun and interesting. Copypasta from Redit and TikTok ShitTok videos are not. Please let's have more like this!