Some of the most beautiful buildings in the world fascinate and captivate with their intricate shapes and configurations. Undoubtedly, these architectural structures deserve the highest praise and special attention. Let's look at the 25 most outstanding ones, built in different parts of the world.
Burj Al Arab Hotel - Dubai
Burj Al Arab is considered the tallest hotel in the world. This 7-star, 60-storey building is built on a private artificial island on Jumeirah Beach. The hotel is built in the shape of a sailboat and is located at an altitude of 321 m above sea level.
The design inside the building is stunning: many dancing fountains, huge aquariums, luxurious apartments with gilded decoration.
Catherine Palace - St. Petersburg
In the city of Pushkin, near St. Petersburg, there is another beautiful building with a bright blue facade: the Baroque Palace of Catherine the Great. Crowds of tourists visit this magnificent structure to admire it, as well as the famous Amber Room, one of the wonders of the world. Particularly impressive is the elegant wing of the palace in the classical style, which was designed by Catherine II’s architect, Charles Cameron.
Guggenheim Museum - Bilbao, Spain
American architect Frank Gehry designed the Guggenheim Museum, which is located in Spain. The most innovative ideas of 20th century architecture are intertwined in the bold contours of the building. The building, with an area of 24 thousand m2, is a landmark with an innovative design. The museum radically changed the view of modern architecture. During the construction of the building, titanium was used with lines that change color in the sun.
Great Mosque - Djenné, Mali
In the south of the Sahara there is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world - a mosque, which was built by African tribes from clay bricks. The architectural complex was built in 1906 and is the largest structure in the world built entirely of mud. In 1988, the mosque was included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.
Sagrada Familia - Barcelona, Spain
One of the main attractions of Spain, the symbol of Barcelona is the Sagrada Familia or the Church of the Holy Family, which was built according to the design of Antoni Gaudi. The architect spent 40 years building this Gothic cathedral. After Gaudi's death, his associates continued to build the temple; it is worth noting that work continues to this day. According to the project, completion of the church is expected in 2026.
Taj Mahal, India
This majestic building is located in India, on the southern bank of the Yamuna River. The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum complex that took 20 years to build. White marble was used in its construction, which changes color depending on sunlight or moonlight. The building was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983. The Taj Mahal is rightfully considered one of the majestic buildings in the world.
Wat Rong Khun - Thailand
Wat Rong Khun or "White Temple" is one of the most famous temples in Thailand. The uniqueness of the structure is that it stands out for its crystal whiteness and sparkles in the sun. The temple was designed by a famous Thai artist. There are still plans to improve the building. It is expected that there will be nine structures with halls for relics, meditation and living quarters for monks.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque - UAE
One of the largest mosques in the world, the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi, is built of marble and seats 40 thousand people. The building was built in 2007. White marble brought from 28 countries of the world was used in its construction. In the main hall there is a huge lamp weighing 9 tons, decorated with Swarovski crystals.
Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood - Russia
The Church of the Savior on Blood is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and it is located in St. Petersburg. The impressive size of the church began to be built in 1883. The majestic building is decorated with colorful towers, mosaic interiors and unique exterior decoration.
Golden Temple - Amritsar, India
The Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) is a stunning building of India, erected in the center of a lake. The structure was destroyed and rebuilt several times. The style of the temple features Hindu and Muslim architecture, which is enhanced when reflected in the water. It is believed that the building is a holy place and one should pray while being here.
Shanghai Tower - China
Shanghai Tower is one of the tallest and most beautiful buildings in the country. It is taller than even such buildings as the Jin Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center. The height of the building is about 650 meters, and the total area is 380 thousand m.
1 World Trade Center or Freedom Tower - New York, USA
The Freedom Tower in New York is central to the World Trade Center in Manhattan. It was built on the site of the twin towers destroyed in the terrorist attack. The tower is the tallest building in the United States.
Lotus Temple - Delhi, India
The Lotus Temple in New Delhi is one of the most beautiful temples in India. Built according to the design of the Iranian architect Fariborz Sahba. Previously, on the site of the building there was a mystical settlement of Baha Pur - “Bach’s Dwelling”. The second name of the Bahai Lotus Temple is the Mother of all temples on the Hindustan Peninsula. Its magnificence has earned it many architectural awards.
Grand Lisboa Casino Hotel - China
The Grand Lisboa was designed by renowned Hong Kong architects Dennis Lau and Ng Chun Meng. This impressive skyscraper is 260 meters high and has 58 floors! Gaming establishments in the building began operating in February 2007. The entire surface of the casino hotel is a screen of complex configuration. This solution is considered innovative.
Mosque of Cordoba - Spain
The Cathedral Mosque of Cordoba in Spain is decorated with intricate patterns, mosaic patterns and openwork columns. Several centuries ago, an ancient Roman temple stood on this site, then a Visigothic church, and in 785 the Mezquita appeared. The pilgrimage to Cordoba was even equated to the obligatory hajj to Mecca for every Muslim.
St. Peter's Basilica - Vatican City, Italy
St. Peter's Basilica - one of the main attractions of the Vatican - is rightfully considered the heart of the Vatican and the entire Catholic world. From a bird's eye view, stunning views of ancient Rome open up, and from the top of the dome you can admire the interior of the cathedral.
Bayon Temple Complex - Siem Reap, Cambodia
Bayon is one of the most amazing temples located on the territory of Angkor Thom and was its religious center. The “highlight” of Bayon are the towers with many faces carved from stone, silently looking from above over the vast territory of Angkor Thom, and during the heyday of the state, over the entire Khmer Empire. Initially, there were 54 towers, which symbolized the 54 provinces under the rule of the king. Today, only about 37 towers remain.
Shwedagon Pagoda - Yangon, Myanmar
One of the most majestic and spiritual buildings in Myanmar is the Shwedagon Pagoda. The entire complex is located on an area of more than five hectares. In addition to the main building, there are many sculptures of mythical and real animals around it: golden griffins, elephants, dragons and lions.
Australian War Memorial - Canberra
The Australian War Memorial is the main memorial dedicated to the memory of soldiers killed during the First and Second World Wars. Today it is considered one of the most significant monuments of its kind in the world. The memorial is located near the Parliament building, from the balcony of which a 360-degree panorama of the monument opens.
Shopping Center - Las Vegas, USA
Fashion Show Mall is the only large shopping center of its kind in Las Vegas. On the territory of the building there are 250 boutiques, shops and six department stores of famous brands. The center opened in 1981, and over the years it has grown to 175 thousand square meters. There is also a huge hall for fashion shows.
Music Building - China
This creative building, called Piano House, was built in China and designed by architecture students. The building consists of two parts depicting two instruments - a transparent violin resting on a translucent piano.
The original building was built for music lovers, but has nothing to do with music. The violin contains an escalator, and the piano contains an exhibition complex.
Siena Cathedral - Italy
According to chroniclers, at the beginning of the 13th century, residents of the city-state of Siena, which acted as the main competitor and adversary of Florence, “called on their leaders to build a temple more magnificent than their neighbors.” Thus, in the period from 1215 to 1263, the Duomo of Siena was founded on the site of the old temple according to the plan of the Gothic master Niccolò Pisano. Today this majestic temple is the main attraction of the city.
Milan Cathedral (Duomo) - Milan, Italy
One of the significant places in Milan is the Gothic Cathedral of Santa Maria Nascente (Duomo), which was built from 1386 to the beginning of the 19th century. The attraction is the third largest Catholic church, which is even considered one of the wonders of the world. Its hundred-meter spiers tower over the center of Milan, and the golden statue of the Madonna on the longest spire (four meters high) is visible from many areas of the city.
Sydney Opera House - Australia
The Sydney Opera House is one of the most recognizable buildings in the world. Its architect was the Dane Jorn Utzon. Having designed the original roofs, somewhat reminiscent of shells, he gave Sydney a magnificent gift - a symbol of the city. Today, every tourist planning to visit Australia definitely includes an excursion to the majestic opera house in his travel itinerary.
Angkor Wat - Siem Reap, Cambodia
The Cambodian temple Angkor Wat is one of the largest religious buildings ever created. It was built almost 9 centuries ago. It is located on an area of 200 hectares and is surrounded by a moat 190 meters wide. A temple was built in honor of the god Vishnu, who is revered in this area.
1. The Hashtag Tower (Seoul, Korea)
Architects from a Danish company have designed an apartment complex in the form of a tower, reminiscent of the “#” sign (hashtag).
Intersecting towers are a three-dimensional design of interconnected horizontal and vertical towers. Three bridges connect two thin towers at different levels - one underground, and two bridges above the surface. To meet the needs and desires of different categories of residents, age groups and cultures, landscape bridges are designed to host various events that are limited to prying eyes. The resulting forms form a new silhouette in the appearance of Seoul. The "#" Tower opens the way to the new business district of Yongsan, symbolizing the departure from the old gray skyscrapers, and refers to the concept of a new urban generation that fills cities in three-dimensional space.
2. Elephant Building, Bangkok
Introducing the Elephant Building in Bangkok, Thailand. The building was designed by Sumet Jumsai and completed in 1997.
3. Hieroglyph Building (Shanghai)
The hieroglyph building is an interesting project from the company PLOT, which later split into two companies BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) and JDS (Julien De Smedt). The project proposed a building for hotels, sports and conference centers as part of the World Expo 2010 held in Shanghai. The project included two buildings merging together. The first building rises out of the water and includes sports, aquatic and cultural centers. The second building, rising from the ground, serves enlightenment. There are conference rooms here. The two buildings, after merging, smoothly transform into a hotel with 1,000 rooms. The building is shaped like the Chinese character for "People". The building became a symbol of the World Exhibition in China.
4. Swastika Building (California, USA)
This building is owned by the US Navy and is located in Coronado, California. Initially, the building was not planned in the shape of a swastika. However, after public outcry over the unacceptable shape of the building, the US Navy will spend $600,000 to rebuild the building.
5. Zayed National Museum building in the shape of wings (UAE)
The wing-shaped Zayed National Museum building was designed by Foster + Partners. It is located on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and is the first museum on the island. The theme of the museum is history, culture and socio-economic transformation in the Emirates.
The museum includes five wing-shaped towers rising above the man-made landscape on which the galleries are located. The towers act like heat pipes and serve to cool air flow throughout the museum without consuming electricity. Fresh air passes through underground cooling pipes and then enters the museum. The towers are heated from above, the air is drawn vertically through the galleries and out through the ventilation holes.
6. Dancing House (Czech Republic)
The Dancing House is an architectural masterpiece in the center of Prague. It got its name because of its shape. The house was originally named Fred and Ginger (after Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers) because it resembles a dancing couple. It was designed in 1992 by Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Milunic and completed in 1996.
7. COR Building (Miami, Florida)
A new high-rise building is coming soon to Miami's design district, and the building ticks all the green boxes. The collaboration between Chad Oppenheim of Happold (energy conservation consultant) - Architecture + Design and civil engineer Ysreal Seinuk will cost $40 million to bring the 25-story COR skyscraper to life.
To attract a diverse mix of residents, the building's interior features both commercial and comfortable residential spaces ranging from $400,000 to $2 million per apartment or office. Each housing unit will include Energy Star appliances, recycled tiles, glass and bamboo in hallways. In total, the building will have up to 113 residential apartments, 20,100 square meters of office space, and 5,400 square meters of retail space (which already includes a cafe and a furniture store).
8. Wooden Skyscraper (Vancouver)
The seemingly radical idea of building a skyscraper out of wood is not so strange after architect Michael Green pointed out the two main advantages of wood over concrete and steel - it is environmentally friendly and cost-effective.
"Tallwood" will be built from large "laminated lumber panels" - composite panels made from glued strips of wood. Trees are regenerable and help reduce air pollution. Sourcing wood from managed forests can be considered more environmentally friendly, CNN reports.
Unlike concrete, which produces about 6 - 9 kg of carbon dioxide per 10 kg of its own weight, wood absorbs carbon from the atmosphere. And contrary to popular belief, wood is actually quite fire resistant.
9. Building-Coin (UAE)
This building is the headquarters of Aldar in Abu Dhabi. The design of architects from the MZ company was brought to life in 2010. This is the first coin-shaped skyscraper in the world.
10. Egg Building (China)
This beautiful structure, known as the Egg Building, is the National Fine Arts Center of China. This domed building is submerged in water. The building houses an opera house, a concert hall and a theater. It is noteworthy that this building, reflected in the water, becomes even more huge and beautiful. The "egg" also includes a vault of underwater corridors, an underwater garage, and even an artificial lake. It took more than five years to construct the building.
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 us!
1 Surreal House/Mind House (Barcelona, Spain) map
Mind House is a building located at the entrance to Park Güell, designed by the architect Antoni Gaudi, 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 the Polish fairytale illustrations of 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 Bahai 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 (Brasilia, Brazil) map
Catholic Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Brasilia. Built in the modernist style according to the design of 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
The residential building, built in 1906-1910 in Barcelona by the architect Antoni Gaudi for the Mila family, is 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 makes it possible to avoid air conditioning, interior partitions in each of the apartments of the house can be moved at your discretion, and there is an underground garage.
7 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 Waterkein 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 modernist style. The building took five years to construct and was completed in 1996. The sixteen-meter-tall concrete smooth cylindrical structure on a thin leg with a glass belt simultaneously looks like both a UFO and an exotic plant growing on the edge of a cliff.
9 Kansas City Central Library (Missouri, USA) map
For a time, the façade of the Kansas City Central Library was designed as a bookshelf composed of various books. It looked impressive)
10 “The Hobbit House” (Wales, UK) map
The house was built with maximum consideration for the environment and provided a unique opportunity to live closer to nature.
11 Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York, USA) map
The choice of site for the construction of the Guggenheim Museum was on a site adjacent to the huge green area of Central Park between 88th and 89th streets on Fifth Avenue. When designing the building, architect Frank Lloyd Wright moved away from existing models and invited viewers to take the elevator to the top floor and go down in an internal continuous spiral, examining the exhibition along the way, both on the ramp itself and in the adjacent halls.
12 Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao, Spain) map
The museum building was designed by American-Canadian architect Frank Gehry and was opened to the public in 1997. The building is 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 embankment, the building embodies the abstract idea of a futuristic ship, perhaps for interplanetary travel. He has also been compared to a bird, an airplane, Superman, an artichoke and a blooming 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 Expo 67, 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 apartments have a private rooftop garden for the neighbor below. The style of construction 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 the city's three 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 Porto's functions as the European Capital of Culture. The project proposed by Koolhaas received wide recognition in the architectural community. Thus, the architectural critic of The New York Times 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 (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. Canada's largest stadium by capacity.
16 Nautilus House (Mexico City, Mexico) map
The design of the house is very innovative, unusual and daring. Architect Javier Senosiein decided to bring marine 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 rhombicuboctahedron, 73.6 m high (23 floors) and weighing 115,000 tons (not including books). Unusual is the lighting of the building, which is a giant multi-color screen based on LED clusters, which turns on every day at sunset and runs until midnight. The design and patterns on it are constantly changing.
18 National Center for the Performing Arts/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 Lake Zhongnanhai. The three main halls of the theater can accommodate at least 6,500 spectators.
The architect was the Frenchman Paul Andreux; 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 from the point of view of its incompatibility 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 manifestation of his surreal blend of summer house and unique underwater aesthetic.
20 House Attack (Vienna, Austria) map
Erwin Wurm is known for his unusual, sometimes humorous and sometimes mysterious works. He created such an intriguing installation that surprised passersby.
21 Library 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 at the University of Alexandria. The complex has 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 inclined to the north. The glass surfaces of the north-sloping roof allow northern light to flow 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 solution was that he installed the parallelepiped of the house not on the edge, as usual, but on the top, and with this top it 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, reminiscent of an impossible triangle.
23 The ideal palace of the postman Cheval/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 a baker's assistant, and in 1867 he received the position of rural postman. Delivering mail, he traveled 25 km every day, putting stones of unusual natural shapes into a wheelbarrow. Of these, for 33 years, alone, in his free time, day and night, in any weather, with the help of the most simple tools, he realized his dream - a palace beyond all imagination.
24 Hallgrímskirkja Church (Reykjavik, Iceland) map
The design 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 area of the greenhouses is 22,000 square meters. m. The domes are made of hundreds of hexagons and several pentagons connecting the entire structure. Each of the hexagons and pentagons is made of durable, translucent plastic. The first greenhouse features tropical vegetation, the second - Mediterranean vegetation.
26 The Museum of Play (Rochester, USA) map
Interesting architectural design of the National Museum of Play in Rochester. The museum provides a huge interactive collection of exhibits dedicated to the history and exploration of gaming. 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 1,539 rooms. Initially, the dome cells had acrylic inserts, but after the fire of 1976, only the 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 great food, laugh a lot, lie on a yoga bed, ride a virtual roller coaster, control a ball with your mind, find yourself in the desert or inside a soap bubble, and much more. In total, WonderWorks has about one hundred and fifty interactive activities. Longaberger's main office was built in the shape of one of the company's products - a wicker basket. The building has seven floors, huge handles weigh almost 150 tons. The museum is a gallery of contemporary art, opened as part of the European Capital of Culture program in 2003. The building concept was developed by London architects Peter Cook and Colin Fournier. The unofficial name is Friendly Alien. The building was built in a blob style, sharply contrasting 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 similar cultural buildings in large cities. The interior decoration, 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 shape 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”. A wooden 13-story house built in Solombala (north of Arkhangelsk) by businessman Nikolai Sutyagin. The house was partially dismantled in December 2008 by court decision as an unauthorized construction. 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, although inferior in height to some tiered wooden churches.
A person sometimes creates beautiful and unusual things, the sight of which can be enjoyed by grateful descendants, marveling at the skill and imagination of outstanding masters. Architects, in this context, give us fewer masterpieces than painters, sculptors or musicians, but this is understandable, because an architect needs not only to come up with something out of the ordinary, but also to realize his plan, which is many times more difficult than for the same artist . And yet, there are truly incredible buildings in the world, which will be discussed in this article.
There are dozens of amazing buildings scattered around the world, and today we will look at only a part of them.
Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai
The real name of this hotel, which means “Arab Tower” in translation, is known to few people, but the Parus Hotel is familiar to almost every travel lover. The architect is Tom Wright from Atkins Middle East. The height of the hotel is 320 meters, and its appearance resembles a huge white sail, which is where the building’s nickname came from. The hotel positions itself as a seven-star hotel, although it is internationally classified as a five-star deluxe hotel. Room rates range from $1,000 to $28,000 per night. All rooms in the hotel are two-story, and the smallest room has an area of 168 square meters. m.
Crooked house in Sopot
The small seaside resort of Sopot, located in the Gdansk Voivodeship (Poland), has one attraction that has already become famous throughout the world, attracting crowds of tourists to the town. We are talking about the so-called Crooked House, built according to the design of architects Shotinsky and Zalevsky. Despite its original appearance, Crooked House is part of a shopping center, which, however, does not detract from its unusualness.
dancing House
Another building with irregular geometric shapes is the Dancing House, located in the capital of the Czech Republic. Deconstructivism is the style in which this unusual building, which is actually an office center, is made. The two towers of this house are an architectural metaphor for a dancing couple, with one tower being normal and the other being destructive. Two architects worked on the project: Croatian Vlado Milunic and Canadian Frank Gehry.
Cube houses
Cube houses
Apparently inspired by what was allowed in Holland, the architect Piet Blom built Cube Houses or Cube Houses in Rotterdam and Helmond in 1984. The houses are residential and very comfortable.
House Mila
One of the main attractions of Barcelona is Casa Mila, designed and built by the outstanding Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi in 1910, commissioned by the Mila family. This house was the last private commission of Gaudi, who devoted the rest of his life to the Sagrada Familia Cathedral. Elevators, an underground garage, an innovative ventilation system, an open plan - this house is a unique manifestation of architectural genius, decorating the capital of Catalonia with its appearance to this day.
Temple of Truth
Wooden Buddhist Temple of Truth, located in Pattaya (Thailand). Construction of the temple began back in 1981, initiated by Thai businessman Leka Viriyapana, and is planned to be completed by 2025. The construction uses ancient Thai construction and wood carving technologies, and every square centimeter of the temple is carved sculptures and wood ornaments depicting a mix of religious and mythological scenes from Southeast Asia and China.
Great Mosque in Djenne
Great Mosque in Djenne
This mosque is the largest clay building in the world. It is located in the city of Djenne (Mali), in the floodplain of the Bani River. Despite its appearance, the building is a little over a hundred years old, its construction was completed in 1907. This is the greatest achievement of the Sudanese-Sahelian architectural style.
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
The Museum of Modern Art, a branch of the Solomon Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art, opened in 1997. This building was designed by architect Frank Gehry. It is located on the banks of the Nervion River in Bilbao (Spain). The museum is built in the style of deconstructivism.
Museum of Contemporary Art in Nitroya
The museum in Nitroya is the famous architectural creation of Oscar Niemeyer in the modernist style. The museum building is a sixteen-meter-tall concrete smooth cylindrical structure on a thin leg with a glass belt, reminiscent of a UFO.
These are not all the buildings that I would like to show you, especially considering that each of them deserves a separate article. But everything has its time, dear friends.
I like everything unusual. There are unusual animals, incredible facts about the world, and so on. Today I will present to you the top 10 most unusual buildings in the world. The architects did their best!
№1
Dancing House (Prague, Czech Republic)
This office building was erected in the mid-1990s. and since then it has been one of the most popular buildings in the Czech capital. The deconstructivist-style complex was designed by architects Vlado Milunić and Frank Gehry. The house consists of two cylindrical towers, symbolizing a dancing couple. Since Hollywood stars Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire are considered the most famous choreographic duo, the building received the playful nickname “Ginger and Fred”. It seems that the dynamic and bold structure is really about to start dancing.
№2
Cube houses (Rotterdam, Netherlands)
In the 1970s Piet Blom came up with two cubic houses that were subsequently built in Helmond. After some time, the architect was asked to develop something interesting for Rotterdam, and the maestro decided to use his idea a second time. According to the concept, each building symbolizes an abstract tree, and the entire complex thus represents a forest. The lower level of the building is the living area, the middle level has a bedroom and bathroom, the upper level is used as an additional bedroom or living room.
№3
Hang Nga Hotel (Dalat, Vietnam)
This amazing hotel, created in 1990, is far from all traditional architectural standards and is more reminiscent of the palace of some fairy-tale character. It is characterized by unexpected curves, and none of its windows are perfectly square or round. Many people call the hotel a “madhouse”, “treehouse” or “spider web chalet”. It is noteworthy that the hotel is owned by the daughter of the former president of Vietnam, who once studied architecture in Moscow.
№4
“Crooked House” (Sopot, Poland)
Construction of the building was completed in December 2003. The architects were inspired by the drawings and paintings of the Polish artist and illustrator Jan Martin Schanzer and the Swedish artist Per Dahlberg. When examining the house, it seems that it was once “normal,” but at some point it began to “melt.” In other words, the structure is more reminiscent of a surrealist's fantasy than a real building.
№5
"Forest Spiral" (Darmstadt, Germany)
The 12-story building, built in 1998-2000, consists of 105 apartments and seems to “wrap” the courtyard. On its roof there is a garden with beech, maple and linden trees, as well as a restaurant with magnificent views of the surrounding area. The building was designed by the Austrian architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser, who is considered a master of “irregular” lines and the use of natural forms in design. In an interview, he admitted that he considers straight lines “tools of the devil.” Unfortunately, the architect died in February 2000, a few months before the completion of construction.
№6
Torre Galatea Figueres or Dali Museum (Figueres, Spain)
Perhaps this is one of the most famous unusual buildings in the world. The design of the surreal complex was carried out by the artist Salvador Dali. The main feature of the structure was the eggs: it was them that the maestro considered a symbol of life and it was their huge copies that he installed along the perimeter of the entire structure. As for the house itself, it originally housed the city theater (built in the mid-19th century). The Dali Museum was opened in 1974 and since then has been included in the mandatory excursion program of most tourists coming to Catalonia.
№7
Palace of Ferdinand Cheval or Ideal Palace (Hauterives, France)
The amazing complex was built by just one person - not an architect, but an ordinary postman. It was Ferdinand Cheval. He spent 33 years (1879-1912) on his bizarre brainchild. According to the self-taught man, he managed to implement the project thanks to the fact that he had a dream and willpower. Cheval was inspired by biblical and Hindu motifs: on the territory of the palace you can see sculptures of various deities, pilgrims, and temples. In addition, the building is decorated with towers and fountains. The complex is rightfully considered an example of naive architecture.
№8
Basket House (Newark, Ohio, USA)
This quaint building, created in 1997, houses the office of the construction company Longaberger. Many experts tried to dissuade the owner of the company, Dave Longaberger, from implementing such an extravagant project, but the entrepreneur stood his ground. As a result, a giant basket worth $30 million appeared in Newark. The total area of the seven-story building is 16.7 thousand square meters. m.
№9
Central Library (Kansas City, USA)
The building perfectly reflects what is in it: since we are talking about a library, one of the facades of the building is made in the shape of a bookshelf. The townspeople chose the titles of literary works for the complex themselves. As a result, on the walls of the building you can see huge “crusts” for “The Lord of the Rings” by John Tolkien and “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare. A giant bookshelf covers a boring wall in a library garage built in 2006.
№10
Tianzi Hotel (Langfang, Hebei Province, China)
The unique ten-story hotel consists of three figures symbolizing the Chinese star elders. Their names are Fu (center), Lu (right) and Shou (left). These are key feng shui talismans that signify happiness, prosperity and longevity respectively. The hotel was built in 2000-2001 and immediately entered the Guinness Book of Records as the largest sculpture building. The height of the building is 41.6 m. And the windows of the hotel are “hidden” behind the patterned outfit of the star elders. There are two entrances to the hotel - on the right and left sides.