We fly into space, race to build skyscrapers, clone living organisms and do a lot of things that until recently seemed impossible. And at the same time, they are still unable to unravel the mysteries of the builders and thinkers who lived millennia ago. An ancient cobblestone weighing a hundred tons surprises us more than a computer the size of half a palm.
Goseck Circle, Germany, Goseck
A ring system of concentric ditches and wooden fences was created between 5000 and 4800 BC. Now the complex is reconstructed. Presumably, it was used as a solar calendar.
Statues of "reptilians", French Polynesia, Nuku Hiva island
Statues in a place called Temehea-Tohua in the Marquesas Islands depict strange creatures, the appearance of which in the mass consciousness is associated with aliens. They are different: there are large large-mouthed "reptilians", and there are others: with small bodies and disproportionately large elongated helmet-heads with huge eyes. They have one thing in common - an evil expression on their faces. Whether they were aliens from other worlds or just masked priests is unknown. The statues date from around the beginning of the 2nd millennium.
Stonehenge, UK, Salisbury
Altar, observatory, tomb, calendar? Scientists have not come to a consensus. Five thousand years ago, a ring ditch and ramparts around it with a diameter of 115 m appeared. A few centuries later, ancient builders brought here 80 four-ton stones, and a couple of centuries later - 30 megaliths weighing 25 tons. The stones were set in a circle and in the form of a horseshoe. The form in which Stonehenge has survived to this day is largely the result of human activity in recent centuries. People continued to work on the stones: the peasants chopped off pieces of amulets from them, the tourists marked the territory with inscriptions, and the restorers figured out for the ancients how they had it right.
Pyramid of Kukulkan, Mexico, Chichen Itza
Every year, on the days of the spring and autumn equinoxes, thousands of tourists gather at the foot of the sanctuary of the supreme Mayan deity - the Feathered Serpent. They observe the miracle of the "appearance" of Kukulkan: the Serpent moves down along the balustrade of the main staircase. The illusion is created by the play of triangular shadows cast by the nine platforms of the pyramid at the moment when the setting sun illuminates its northwestern corner for 10 minutes. If the sanctuary had been displaced even by a degree, none of this would have happened.
Karnak stones, France, Brittany, Karnak
In total, about 4,000 megaliths up to four meters high are arranged in slender alleys near the city of Karnak. The rows run parallel to each other or diverge like a fan, in some places they form circles. The complex dates back to the 5th-4th millennium BC. There were legends in Brittany that it was the wizard Merlin who made the ranks of Roman legionnaires turn to stone.
Stone balls, Costa Rica
Pre-Columbian artifacts scattered off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica were discovered in the 1930s by banana plantation workers. Hoping to find gold inside, the vandals destroyed many balls. Now most of the rest are kept in museums. The diameter of some stones reaches 2.5 meters, weight - 15 tons. Their purpose is unknown.
Georgia Guidestones, USA, Georgia, Elbert
In 1979, someone under the pseudonym R.C. Christian ordered a construction company to manufacture and install a monument - a structure of six granite monoliths with a total weight of more than 100 tons. On the four side plates are engraved ten commandments to descendants in eight languages, including Russian. The last paragraph reads: "Do not be a cancer for the Earth, leave a place for nature too!"
Nuraghi Sardinia, Italy, Sardinia
Semi-conical structures resembling huge beehives (up to 20 m high) appeared in Sardinia at the end of the 2nd millennium BC, before the arrival of the Romans. The towers were built without a foundation, from stone blocks superimposed on each other, not fastened with any mortar and held only by their own weight. The purpose of the nuraghe is unclear. It is characteristic that archaeologists have repeatedly discovered miniature models of these towers made of bronze during excavations.
Saxahuaman, Peru, Cusco
The archaeological park at an altitude of 3700 meters and an area of 3000 hectares is located north of the capital of the Inca Empire. The defensive and at the same time temple complex was built at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries. Zigzag crenellated walls, reaching 400 meters in length and six in height, are made of multi-ton stone blocks, including 200-ton ones. How the Incas installed these blocks, how they adjusted them one under the other, is unknown. From above, Saxahuaman looks like the toothy head of the puma Cuzco (the city was founded in the form of a sacred animal of the Incas).
Arkaim, Russia, Chelyabinsk region
The settlement of the Bronze Age (III-II millennium BC) is located on the same latitude as Stonehenge. Coincidence? Scientists don't know. Two rows of circular walls (the diameter of the far one is 170 m), a drainage system and a sewerage system, a well in every house are evidence of a highly developed culture. The monument was discovered by students and schoolchildren from an archaeological expedition in 1987. (In the photo - a model-reconstruction.)
Newgrange, Ireland, Dublin
The Celts called it Fairy Mound and considered it the home of one of their chief gods. A round structure made of stone, earth and rubble with a diameter of 85 meters was erected more than 5000 years ago. A corridor leads inside the mound, ending with a ritual chamber. On the days of the winter solstice, this chamber is brightly illuminated for 15–20 minutes by a ray of sun that enters the window above the tunnel entrance.
Coral Castle, USA, Florida, Homestead
The whimsical structure was single-handedly built in 28 years (1923-1951) by the Latvian immigrant Edward Lindskalnin in honor of lost love. How a man of modest height and build moved huge blocks in space remains a mystery.
Yonaguni pyramids, Japan, Ryukyu archipelago
Monuments of huge stone platforms and pillars located under water at a depth of 5 to 40 meters were discovered in 1986. The main of these structures has the form of a pyramid. Not far from it is a large platform with steps, similar to a stadium with spectator stands. One of the objects resembles a huge head, like the moai statues on Easter Island. There is a debate in the scientific community: many believe that the formations lying on the bottom of the ocean are of exclusively natural origin. But loners like Masaaki Kimura, a professor at Ryukyu University who has repeatedly dived to the ruins, insist that a person was involved.
Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe, Masvingo
One of the largest and oldest stone structures in South Africa has been built since the 11th century, and in the 15th century it was abandoned for some unknown reason. All structures (up to 11 meters in height and 250 in length) were built using the dry masonry method. Presumably, up to 18,000 people lived in the settlement.
Delhi Column, India, New Delhi
An iron column over 7 meters high and weighing over 6 tons is part of the Qutb Minar architectural complex. It was cast in honor of King Chandragupta II in 415. For unclear reasons, the column, which is almost 100% iron, is virtually indestructible. Scientists are trying to explain this fact by various reasons: the special skill and technology of ancient Indian blacksmiths, dry air and specific climatic conditions in the Delhi region, the formation of a protective shell - in particular, as a result of the fact that the Hindus anointed the sacred monument with oils and incense. Ufologists, as usual, see in the column another proof of the intervention of extraterrestrial intelligence. But the secret of "stainless steel" has not yet been unraveled.
Nazca Lines, Peru, Nazca Plateau
A 47-meter spider, a 93-meter hummingbird, a 134-meter eagle, a lizard, an alligator, a snake, other zoomorphic and humanoid creatures ... Giant images from a bird's eye view seem to be scratched on a rock devoid of vegetation, as if with one hand, in the same style . In fact, these are furrows up to 50 cm deep and up to 135 cm wide, made at different times in the 5th-7th centuries.
Nabta Observatory, Nubia, Sahara
In the sands next to a dried-up lake is the oldest archaeoastronomical monument on the planet, 1000 years older than Stonehenge. The location of the megaliths allows you to determine the day of the summer solstice. Archaeologists believe that people lived here seasonally, when there was water in the lake, so they needed a calendar.
Antikythera mechanism, Greece, Antikythera
A mechanical device with dials, hands and gears at the beginning of the 20th century was found on a sunken ship sailing from Rhodes (100 BC). After lengthy research and reconstruction, scientists found that the device served astronomical purposes - it made it possible to monitor the movement of celestial bodies and make very complex calculations.
Baalbek Plates, Lebanon
The Roman temple complex dates back to the 1st-2nd century AD. But the Romans did not build sanctuaries in an empty place. At the base of the temple of Jupiter lie more ancient slabs weighing 300 tons. The western retaining wall is made up of a series of "trilithons" - three limestone blocks, each more than 19 m long, 4 m high and weighing about 800 tons. Roman technology was not able to lift such a weight. By the way, not far from the complex for more than one thousand years there is another block - under 1000 tons.
Göbekli Tepe, Turkey
The complex on the Armenian Highlands is considered the oldest of the largest megalithic structures (approximately X-IX millennium BC). At that time, people were still engaged in hunting and gathering, but someone was able to erect circles from huge steles with images of animals.
The world is filled with strange buildings resulting from the attempts of unconventional architects to express themselves with brick and mortar. Skyscrapers rushing to the clouds and giant metal structures are common sights in almost all corners of the world. We offer an overview of the most amazing and strange buildings in the world.
The National Performing Arts Center (National Opera House) is located in Beijing. Constructed of glass and titanium, the building is surrounded by an artificial lake. It was designed by French architect Paul Andreu. Construction began in 2001 and took six years to complete. The first production was the Russian historical opera "Prince Igor" by A.P. Borodin performed by the orchestra, choir and soloists of the Mariinsky Theater under the direction of Valery Gergiev. The architectural complex includes a building, underground and underwater corridors, an underground parking lot, an artificial lake and green spaces. For the construction of the main dome, 18,000 titanium plates and over 1,200 sheets of glass were needed, its length is 212 meters, and its width is 144 meters, and its height is 46 meters. The underground part of the building goes to a depth of about 32.5 meters. The total area of the complex is 118,900 square meters. Three halls of the theater with an area of 12,000 square meters are designed for 5452 spectators.
In Rotterdam and Helmond Cubic houses you can find unusual, if not strange, cubic houses. Created by Piet Blom Piet Blom, based on the desire to create a forest in the middle of the city, houses would grow as trees. In 1984, a complex of 38 buildings appeared on Overblaak Street, striking in their appearance.
Each house has four floors. On the first floors of the houses there are mainly offices, hairdressers, shops, etc. The area of three-story apartments is about 100 square meters, but the living area is much less, because the walls and floor are inclined at an angle of 54.7 degrees. The layout of the apartment is as follows: the first floor - a kitchen and a living room, the second floor - two bedrooms and a bathroom, the third floor will be equipped with guest rooms, offices, winter gardens.
The Biosphere is a museum dedicated to environmental issues. It is located in Jean-Drapeau Park on Saint Helena right in the middle of the Saint Lawrence River. It was once the US pavilion at the International Expo 67. The design, resembling a huge soap bubble, was so striking and original that they decided to keep it. The outer "shell" of the Biosphere is a dome 62 meters high and 76 meters in diameter. The author of the project, which brought worldwide fame to its creator, is Richard Buckminster Fuller.
Lesnaya Spiral is a twelve-story residential complex built in the 1990s. The author of the idea is the Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, and the architect Heinz M. Springmann brought it to life together with the Bauverein Darmstadt company. The construction of the building lasted from 1998 to 2000. The complex "Forest Spiral" with multi-colored camps, a curved facade, resembles a huge snail. 1048 windows of non-repetitive sizes and shapes help to create the image of a fabulous house. Trees grow from some of the windows, and tenants are required by the lease to take care of them. The house has 105 apartments, there is a cozy courtyard with playgrounds, artificial lakes, curly paths and bridges, shops, parking and a pharmacy.
Habitat 67 is a residential complex designed by Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie. This was his graduation project. It is located near the St. Lawrence River on Pierre-Dupuy Avenue. The house is recognized as a landmark of the city, and the country as a whole.
The building resembles a construction of children's cubes, however, it is absolutely reliable and convenient for living. For a house of 146 apartments, 354 cubes were needed, built on top of each other. Each apartment has several such cubes, up to five pieces. From the windows of all apartments there is a view of three cardinal directions, you can admire the Montreal harbor. Moreover, the house has many open terraces, glazed passages.
Also known as Casa Mila, the building is located in the capital of Catalonia, Barcelona. It was built by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi in 1906-1912 for a married couple. The house is amazing and notable for the fact that there is not a single straight line in it. It was an ambiguous design for the time, the bold forms of the undulating stone façade and the wrought iron balcony and window decorations created principally by José Maria Jujol, who also designed some of the plaster ceilings. The house is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Visitors can climb to the top floor, attic and rooftop and take a closer look at this masterpiece.
The Museum of Modern Art is located in the Brazilian city of Niteroi and is one of the main local attractions. The building looks like an unidentified space object that has arrived from unknown worlds. It was built in 1996 according to the design of Oscar Niemeiru and Bruno Contarini. The height of the building is 16 meters, the diameter of the dome is 50 meters, and the supports are 9 meters. Area 817 square meters.
Stone house, Fafi (Portugal)
A stone house in the north of Portugal in the Fafi mountains resembles the home of the Flintstones from an American cartoon. The house was based on two huge boulders, which were connected to each other using concrete mortar. As a result, in 1974, a two-story prehistoric-style house with a fireplace and a swimming pool appeared, attracting thousands of tourists.
The shopping center in Sopot attracts not only buyers, but also thousands of tourists. And all thanks to the unusual appearance - no straight lines and angles. The Crooked House was built in 2004 by architects Szotyńscy & Zaleski, inspired by the fabulous drawings and illustrations by Jan Marcin Szancer and Per Dahlberg. The area is approximately 4000 square meters. There are small shops, cafes and restaurants here. The shopping center occupies the first floor, and the offices of two radio companies are located on the second.
Modern architects are building original houses not only on land, they have begun to conquer bodies of water of all sizes, offering projects
Judging by these photographs, give the architect free rein and he will be able to design a building of any shape and size. We have collected 33 extraordinary houses to show you and for each you can see the position on the world map so that you can visit them live😉. Join now!
1 Surreal house/Mind House (Barcelona, Spain) map
Mind House is a building located at the entrance to Park Güell, designed by architect Antoni Gaudí, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
2 Crooked House/Krzywy Domek (Sopot, Poland) map
Located in the Polish city of Sopot, this building is a popular landmark for tourists and photographers. The inspiration for the unusual shape of the building came from Polish fairy tale illustrations by Jan Marcin Szanser and Per Dahlberg.
3 Stone house/Casa do Penedo (Portugal) map
The house got its name because it was built on the basis of four large boulders, which serve as its foundation, walls and ceiling. Construction began in 1972 and lasted about two years until 1974.
4 Lotus Temple (New Delhi, India) map
The main temple of the Baha'i religion in India and neighboring countries, built in 1986. A huge building made of snow-white marble in the shape of a blooming lotus flower.
5 Cathedral/Catedral Metropolitana de Brasília (Brazilia, Brazil) map
Catholic Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Brasilia. It was built in the modernist style by the famous architect Oscar Niemeyer. When designing, Oscar Niemeyer was inspired by Liverpool Cathedral. The building itself consists of 16 hyperboloid columns, symbolizing hands raised to the sky.
6 Casa Mila/La Pedrera (Barcelona, Spain) map
A residential building built in 1906-1910 in Barcelona by architect Antoni Gaudi for the Mila family, one of the attractions of the Catalan capital. The design of this Gaudi building was innovative for its time: a well-thought-out natural ventilation system allows you to abandon air conditioners, interior partitions in each of the apartments in the house can be moved at your discretion, there is an underground garage.
7 Atomium/Atomium (Brussels, Belgium) map
One of the main attractions and symbol of Brussels. The Atomium was designed for the opening of the 1958 World's Fair by architect Andre Waterkeyn as a symbol of the atomic age and the peaceful uses of atomic energy.
8 Museum of Contemporary Art (Niteroi, Brazil) map
The famous architectural creation of Oscar Niemeyer in the style of modernism. The building took five years to build and was completed in 1996. A sixteen-meter concrete smooth cylindrical structure on a thin leg with a glass belt at the same time looks like a UFO and an exotic plant that has grown on the edge of a cliff.
9 Kansas City Central Library/Kansas City Library (Missouri, USA) map
For a time, the facade of the Kansas City Central Library was designed as a bookshelf made up of various books. Looked amazing)
10 The Hobbit House (Wales, UK) map
The house was built with the utmost regard for the environment and gave a unique opportunity to live close to nature.
11 Solomon Guggenheim Museum/Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York, USA) map
The choice of the site for the Guggenheim Museum fell on a site adjacent to the huge green area of Central Park between 88th and 89th streets on Fifth Avenue. When designing the building, the architect Frank Lloyd Wright departed from existing models and invited the audience to take the elevator to the top floor and descend along the internal continuous spiral, examining the exposition along the way, both on the ramp itself and in the halls adjacent to it.
12 Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao, Spain) map
The museum building was designed by American-Canadian architect Frank Gehry and opened to the public in 1997. The building was immediately recognized as one of the most spectacular deconstructivist buildings in the world. Architect Philip Johnson called it "the greatest building of our time"
Located on the waterfront, the building embodies the abstract idea of a futuristic ship, perhaps for interplanetary travel. He is also compared to a bird, an airplane, Superman, an artichoke, and a blossoming rose.
13 Habitat 67/Habitat 67 (Montreal, Canada) map
Residential complex in Montreal, which was designed by architect Moshe Safdie in 1966-1967. The complex was built for the start of the Expo-67 exhibition, one of the largest world exhibitions of that time, the theme of which was houses and residential construction.
The cube is the basis of this structure. 354 cubes stacked on top of each other made it possible to create this gray building with 146 apartments. Most of the apartments have a private garden on the roof of the neighbor downstairs. The building style is brutalism.
14 House of Music/Casa da musica (Porto, Portugal) map
Designed by Rem Koolhaas, the concert hall in the historic center of Porto is home to three of the city's orchestras. The construction of a building of an unusual shape required the implementation of new engineering solutions. It was carried out in 2001-2005. in connection with the performance of Porto as the European Capital of Culture. The project proposed by Koolhaas received wide recognition in the architectural community. Thus, The New York Times architectural critic Nikolai Urusov called the House of Music "the most attractive" project of Koolhaas, comparing it with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
15 Olympic Stadium/Olympic Stadium (Montreal, Canada) map
It was built as the main sports arena for the 1976 Summer Olympics. It hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games. Largest stadium in Canada.
16 Nautilus House / Nautilus House (Mexico City, Mexico) map
The design of the house is very innovative, unusual and daring. Architect Javier Senosiain decided to bring nautical forms into architecture and created a house in the shape of a shell.
17 National Library of Belarus/National Library of Belarus (Minsk, Belarus) map
The building is a 73.6 m high rhombicuboctahedron (23 floors) and weighs 115,000 tons (excluding books). Unusual is the backlighting of the building, which is a giant multi-color screen based on LED clusters, which turns on daily at sunset and works until midnight. The design and patterns on it are constantly changing.
18 National Performing Arts Center/国家大剧院 (Beijing, China) map
It is an ellipsoidal dome made of glass and titanium, rising in the middle of an artificial reservoir, across the road from Zhongnanhai Lake. The three main halls of the theater can accommodate at least 6,500 spectators.
The architect was the Frenchman Paul Andre; construction lasted from December 2001 to December 2007. The construction of such a huge futuristic building in the historical center of the Chinese capital caused great controversy, both in terms of its inconsistency with the urban environment, and because of the exorbitant and constantly increasing costs during construction.
19 Conch Shell House (Isla Mujeres, Mexico) map
The house was designed by Octavio Ocampo, one of Mexico's most famous artists, and his brother. The house is a perfect display of his surreal blend of summerhouse and unique underwater aesthetic.
20 House Attack (Vienna, Austria) map
Erwin Wurm is known for his unusual, sometimes humorous and sometimes cryptic work. He created just such an intriguing installation, to the surprise of passers-by.
21 Library of Alexandrina/ مكتبة الإسكندرية الجديدة (Alexandria, Egypt) map
The idea of building a library on the site of the ancient Library of Alexandria arose in the early 1970s and belonged to a group of professors from the University of Alexandria. The complex is characterized by a very expressive architecture. The concept of the library building is based on the symbolism of the south. The building is like a solar disk, raised to the south and tilted to the north. The glass surfaces of the north-sloping roof let northern light down into the library.
22 Cube houses/Kubuswoning (Rotterdam, Netherlands) map
A series of houses built in Rotterdam and Helmond to an innovative design by architect Piet Blom in 1984. Blom's radical decision was that he installed the house's box not on the edge, as usual, but on the top, and with this top he rests (visually) on the hexagonal pylon. In Rotterdam, there are 38 such houses and 2 more super-cubes, and all the houses are articulated into a single structure. From a bird's eye view, the complex has an intricate appearance resembling an impossible triangle.
23 Postman Cheval's Ideal Palace/Le Palais idéal (France) map
The creator of this most impressive monument of naive architecture is Joseph Ferdinand Cheval. From the age of 13 he worked as an assistant baker, in 1867 he received the position of a rural postman. Delivering mail, he made a daily journey of 25 km, putting stones of an unusual natural shape into a wheelbarrow. Of these, for 33 years, alone in his spare time, day and night, in any weather, with the help of the most unpretentious tools, he realized his dream - a palace beyond imagination.
24 Hallgrímskirkja Church (Reykjavik, Iceland) map
The project of the church was developed in 1937 by the architect Gudjoun Samuelson. It took 38 years to build the church. The church is located in the center of Reykjavik, and is visible from any part of the city. It has become one of the main attractions of the city.
25 Eden project (Cornwall, UK) map
Botanical garden in Cornwall, UK. Includes a greenhouse, consisting of several geodesic domes, under which plants from all over the world are collected. The greenhouse area is 22,000 sq. m. The domes are made of hundreds of hexagons and several pentagons connecting the entire structure. Each of the six- and pentagons is made of durable translucent plastic. Tropical vegetation is represented in the first greenhouse, Mediterranean vegetation is presented in the second one.
26 The Museum of Play (Rochester, USA) map
An interesting architectural solution of the National Museum of the Game in Rochester. The museum provides a huge interactive collection of exhibits dedicated to the history and exploration of games. A resort complex on the artificial island of Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. The complex consists of two buildings and a bridge connecting them, which housed 1539 rooms. Initially, the dome cells were with acrylic inserts, but after the fire in 1976, only a metal frame remained. Now the Biosphere has become a recognizable symbol of the city. The house is in the neoclassical style, standing upside down. At WonderWorks, you can have a great meal, a lot of laughs, lay on a yoga bed, ride a virtual roller coaster, control a ball with your mind, find yourself in the middle of a desert or inside a soap bubble, and much more. In total, WonderWorks has about one hundred and fifty interactive entertainment. Longaberger's headquarters was built in the form of one of the company's products - a wicker basket. The building has seven floors, huge handles weigh almost 150 tons. Museum, gallery of contemporary art, opened as part of the European Capital of Culture program in 2003. The concept of the building was developed by London-based architects Peter Cook and Colin Fournier. The informal name is a friendly alien. The building was built in the blob style, which contrasts sharply with the surrounding buildings. The base of the building is made of reinforced concrete, the outer shell is made of bluish plastic panels. The Kunsthaus looks decent despite the very low budget for such cultural buildings in large cities. The interior, according to Colin Fournier, should resemble a magician's black box. The facade is implemented as a programmable media installation. A residential complex in Darmstadt in the form of a spiral, designed by the Austrian architect and artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser and characterized by the complete absence of rectangular shapes. Other names are “Wooden skyscraper”, “Solombala skyscraper”. Wooden 13-storey house built in Solombala (northern Arkhangelsk) by businessman Nikolai Sutyagin. The house was partially dismantled in December 2008 by a court decision as an unauthorized building. On May 5, 2012, the remaining part of the wooden skyscraper was destroyed by fire. It was one of the tallest private wooden buildings in Russia, yielding in height to some tiered wooden churches.
Have you ever wondered what the most unusual buildings in the world might look like? Whether it's a hotel, a restaurant, a museum, or a simple office building, who says they have to be boring and normal? Some of the houses in this collection will seem like the creations of a madman, but somehow it's hard not to appreciate the creativity and originality of some of the architects whose creations made it to our list.
25. Basket Building, Ohio, USA
The headquarters of Longaberger Basket in Newark, Ohio, was not accidentally built in the form of a giant basket, because this company makes baskets. Many experts tried to convince David Longaberger that the main building of the company was built according to a different plan, but the founder of Longaberger Basket was adamant.
24. Elephant House, Bangkok, Thailand
Photo: Jarcje
The architectural design of this almost 102-meter structure was clearly invented by a joker. Now the elephant house has numerous offices, trading floors, and there are even residential apartments here.
23. Shark Bar or Shark Bar, Perm, Russia
Photo: Pinterest.com
This cool bar is made from an old boat. It stands on stilts for good reason, because when the water in the Kama River rises high enough, the bar building literally resembles a shark swimming on the waves.
22. Habitat 67, Montreal, Canada
Photo: Sylvain Pastor
Sometimes referred to simply as Habitat, this residential building was built especially for the 1967 International Exhibition.
21. Sheep building, Tirau town, Waikato district (Tirau, Waikato), New Zealand
Photo: Phillip Capper
In a small New Zealand town, local residents built a very unusual building in 1990, and later even more massive animal houses appeared here. For example, houses in the form of a dog and a ram.
20. Upside down house, Szymbark, Poland
Photo: Tomasz Sienicki
Built by Polish entrepreneur Daniel Czapiewski, this house was to become a symbol of the era of communism and the state of affairs around the world in the 20th century.
19. Cube Houses, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Photo: Raul Ayres
This innovative complex of houses is located in the Netherlands. It is said that the main architect intended to build the buildings in the form of trees, and that together they would look like a forest. Did he succeed?
18. Teapot Building, Rockbridge County, Virginia (Rockbridge County, VA), USA
Photo: Taber Andrew Bain
This house was built back in the 1950s, and initially it was conceived as a restaurant in the form of a giant coffee pot. Over the years, the unusual building has changed owners many times, and all of them used the original house for a variety of commercial projects.
17. Amazing flying house, Sarzana, Italy
Photo: Babele Dunnit
At first glance, there is nothing remarkable in this building, but it is not the facade that makes it unique, but rather the technical capabilities. The building easily moves along the rails, can make a 360-degree turn, soar into the air and fall down to the ground.
16. Piano House, Huainan, China
Photo: Unusualplaces.com
This one was carried out in 2007 at the initiative of the Hefei University of Technology (Hefei), and is intended to be a giant outdoor exhibit. At night, the building is illuminated.
15. Hang Nga Guest House or Crazy House, Vietnam
Photo: Kelisi
This establishment is owned by the daughter of a former Vietnamese president and clearly lives up to its name. However, it is difficult to say that the Hang Nga Guest House has any particular style theme, it rather reigns in complete chaos, and there is not a single repeating window on the entire building. And in case you haven't noticed, the whole building resembles the head of a giant giraffe.
14. House between the rocks, France
Photo: Tael
This place is also called Meur Castle. The cute cottage from the photo is actually enclosed in the arms of two huge rocks. The house was built in 1861, when buildings in France could be built anywhere without any special permits, as is now the case.
13. Guitar Museum, Tennessee, USA
Photo: Fuzzphotoz
This music museum is the only museum in the world built in the shape of a guitar. The building was erected in 1983, and it is located, of course, in Tennessee - the birthplace of country music.
12. Miracle Egg, Ishigaki Island (Ishigakijima), Japan
Photo: This and That and More of the Same
And this building was conceived as an observation deck for bird watchers.
11. Public Library of Kansas, Missouri (Missouri), USA
Photo: Caleb Zahnd
Once it was the First National Bank, but now in its place in the center of Kansas there is a very unusual library building. The locals selected books describing their history and culture, after which the library's facade was designed as a bookshelf, on which the jointly selected works were located.
10 Stone House, Guimaraes, Portugal
Photo: Pablo Garc?a Chao
Many thought it was a craft, but the journalists found out that it was a real house in stone. He owes his appearance to the cartoon about the Flintstones family.
9. Forest Spiral, Hundertwasser Building, Darmstadt (Hundertwasser, Darmstadt), Germany
Photo: Pixabay.com
The creator of this unusual building was the famous Austrian architect named Friedensreich Hundertwasser (Friedensreich Hundertwasser). The house is easily recognizable by its unusual pattern.
8. Crooked House, Sopot, Poland
Photo: Abhijeet Rane / Bangalore, India
This place is very popular among tourists and photographers for good reason. The lodge was built in 2004 and is part of a local mall.
7. Leaky house, Texas, USA
Photos: Nick Douglas, Dan Havel, Dean Ruck
This house justifies its name perfectly. To many, it will even seem like a pastiche of the distortion of space and time that gave rise to a wormhole, if you are familiar with such concepts.
6Puzzling World, Wanaka, Otago, New Zealand
Photo: Pavel Spindler
This tourist attraction is located near Lake Wanaka, and it all started as a small maze back in 1973, but subsequently a whole town has grown here, resembling a very curious theme park.
5. Reversible Destiny Lofts, Mitaka, Japan
Photo: Takahiro Hayashi
This residential building was founded by the artist Shusaku Arakawa, and its structure is so unique and unusual that you can only live here if you are familiar with the instructions for using the house.
4. Office Center “1000” or Banknote, Kaunas, Lithuania
Photo: Vilensija
It didn't seem to you, this building really looks like a giant banknote. That is why it attracts a huge number of tourists. Contrary to the appearance of the house, the creators of this project assure that the main idea of their work was to create a center of a respectable and original look, and not a message about the power of money.
3. Atomium, Brussels, Belgium
Photo: Flickr / Mike Cattell
This building is built in the shape of a huge atom. The project was implemented in 1958 specifically for the World Exhibition. The building symbolizes hope and optimism for the future of humanity.
2. Bank of Asia, robotic building, Bangkok, Thailand
Photo: Oran Viriyincy / Bothell, WA
In the financial district of Bangkok, there is a very unusual structure resembling a giant robot. It appeared here in 1986 and consists of 20 floors.
1. Huge pineapple, Nambour, Queensland (Nambour, Queensland), Australia
Photo: NJR ZA
It is the largest pineapple-shaped building in the world. There is another pineapple house in Australia, but this first house was 2 meters lower than its last copy. The height of the house from Nambor is as much as 17 meters.
Urban architecture is exactly the familiar environment in which millions of people live on the planet. But the townspeople very rarely raise their heads to enjoy it. And very in vain. After all, sometimes on the streets of cities you can find the most unusual buildings! They were created by different architects and at different times, investing in them all their skill and imagination.
Wonders of architecture: the most unusual buildings
Of course, it is much easier to build typical buildings according to template designs. However, from time to time there are always weird architects who strive to create something like that. The unusual architecture of the buildings is always striking and attracts a huge number of tourists.
In this article, we will focus on atypical architecture. The most unusual building in the world - what is it? We bring to your attention a list of ten buildings scattered around the world. Of course, this list is far from complete. After all, it is simply unrealistic to cover in one publication all the architectural highlights that have ever been created on the whole Earth. Therefore, it is up to you to decide which of these houses is the most unusual building in the world for you.
Sagrada Familia (Spain)
When compiling such an architectural top ten and choosing the most unusual buildings on the planet, one cannot help but recall the great master Antonio Gaudi. In Barcelona is the greatest of his creations - the Sagrada Familia, which opens our list. Construction of the building began in 1882 and continues to this day! The main features of this temple, which make it so unique, is the complete absence of straight lines, as well as an amazing combination of several architectural styles, in particular Gothic and Art Nouveau.
Dancing House (Czech Republic)
At home, it turns out, they can also dance! Those who doubt this should definitely visit Prague. In this city, architects, inspired by amazing dancers - and Ginger Rogers - have created a stunning masterpiece: the Dancing House. The attractiveness of this building is added by the fact that an elite restaurant with an excellent view of Prague is located on its roof.
Djenne Mosque (Mali)
The most unusual buildings can be built from different building materials. The next building on our list - the Djenne Mosque - is made of clay! The Great Mosque of Djenne in Mali was built in 1907. The height of its main tower is 16 meters. From afar, it seems as if the building was sculpted by a giant child from sea sand. Since 1988, the unique mosque has been protected by UNESCO.
Guggenheim Museum (Spain)
Another Spanish building on our list of the most unusual buildings is the Museum of Modern Art in the city of Bilbao. Built in 1997, it is considered the most iconic example of such an architectural style as deconstructivism. From the outside, the building resembles a huge spaceship for interplanetary expeditions. The height of this grand structure is 55 meters.
Sydney Opera House (Australia)
If the kangaroo is a natural symbol of Australia, then this building can be safely considered an architectural symbol. - a unique structure resembling a huge sailing ship. The construction of the theater was fully completed in 1973, and the author of this project - - received the prestigious Pritzker Prize for it. 102 million Australian dollars were needed to build this architectural masterpiece.
Library of Alexandria (Egypt)
In the place where the ancient one once burned to the ground in 2002, its new building was built. The huge structure can accommodate about 8 million books for storage. The total area of the reading room of the new library is over 70,000 square meters. In addition, the Library of Alexandria has its own planetarium, galleries, museums and even a laboratory for the restoration of ancient books.
Hundertwasser House (Austria)
Once an Austrian architect was asked: "Why do you always wear different socks on your feet?" To which he indifferently and quite sincerely replied: "Why do you always wear the same ones?" It goes without saying that such a person simply had to build something unusual and creative. And he did an excellent job with this task, having built a unique residential building in Vienna in the 80s of the twentieth century. This building is characterized by uneven outlines, and its roofs, walls and cornices are densely planted with trees, herbs and shrubs. And what is most interesting, the architect refused the fee for this project. Today, thousands of tourists from different countries come to gawk at Hundertwasser's house.
Atomium (Belgium)
Another unusual building from our list is located in Belgium. This is nothing but a fragment of the crystal lattice of the ferrum (iron) atom, magnified billions of times. The height of the unique building is 102 meters, and the building itself symbolizes the peaceful use of the atom.
Twisted skyscraper (Sweden)
Perhaps the most unusual skyscraper is located in the Swedish city of Malmö. It was built in 2005 according to the project of the architect. The tower, 190 meters high, consists of nine equal sections, each of which is rotated by a certain degree relative to the previous one. Ultimately, the tallest section of the skyscraper is twisted 90 degrees from the lowest.
Cloud building (Switzerland)
And our top ten is completed by an amazing cloud building in Switzerland. To create the desired effect, water is pumped from the lake by pumps and turns into thick steam. In this pair, all the frame elements of the building are not visible, so the structure itself resembles a cloud hovering over water.
The most unusual buildings in Russia and Moscow
There are, of course, amazing examples of architecture in our country. For example, in the village of Kabardinka (near Gelendzhik) an unusual house was recently built. The thing is, it's upside down. Moreover, all the details of its interiors, including furniture, are turned upside down.
But in the village of Borovoe in 2009 a house-ship appeared. A simple Kemerovo master built it from wood. The house-ship, which is 15 meters long, even has a sauna and a small swimming pool.
There is something to see for lovers of atypical architecture in the capital of our country. The most unusual buildings in Moscow also attract many tourists.
So, the egg-shaped house on Mashkov Street is very popular. The egg house was built in 2004 and has five rooms and parking in the basement. This building is so loved by tourists that many guides have already included it in their tours of the city.
However, the most interesting building in the capital is the house of the architect Melnikov. This unique avant-garde building was built in the late 1920s and is known throughout the world. Despite its futuristic appearance, the house is residential. It was built by an architect for his family.
Finally...
The most unusual buildings will never stop appearing on our planet as long as a person lives, as long as a real Artist lives. They were built in the past and the century before last - they will be built in the distant future. In this article, we have prepared for you a selection of the ten most unusual structures in our opinion. These are residential buildings, majestic temples, and theaters... Of course, this list is far from complete, it can easily be supplemented with dozens (if not hundreds) of other, no less interesting architectural objects.
Loading...