Architects often push their ideas to the limit in an attempt to stand out from the competition – with mixed results. Here are some strange buildings from different parts of the world, whose aesthetics can be highly debatable.
A house in the shape of a large kettle is an original building located in Texas, which is almost 100% made of steel. Why? Because the contractor of this unusual project every day worked in the manufacture of huge oil tanks. Despite appearances, Galweston residents are proud of this “masterpiece” which attracts a lot of curious tourists to the town every year. In 2009 Hurricane Ike raged in Texas, despite the lack of special protection, thanks to the streamlined shape – Kettle House survived the disaster virtually undamaged.
Stone House is an architectural monument located in Portugal (near Celorico de Bast), which was built in 1973 and is still one of the most popular local tourist attractions. Architect from Guimarães is responsible for Stone House project. The building was erected from four huge boulders. Despite the rough look of the building – there is a fireplace inside and a swimming pool carved out of one of the rocks – such amenities make the building comfortable enough, especially when juxtaposed with the beautiful mountain scenery in the background.
House Attak is seemingly ordinary, wooden summer house – what makes it special? The designers were quite imaginative, turning the building upside down and hanging it on the edge of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Vienna. In fact, it is an avant-garde sculpture. The project was co-authored by Austrian artist Erwin Wurm, who wanted to prove that literally anything can be turned into a work of art.
Waldspirale is a residential house located in Darmstadt (Germany), which by its appearance arouses a lot of controversy (due to the “fine” shapes and quite bright colors). Its originator is a Viennese architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. The Waldspirale was completed in 2000. In the building there are service points, underground parking and more than 100 residential units.
The Ufo House is a saucer house estate located in Sanjhih (Taiwan), now a desolate place. Some say that the colorful buildings with their original shape resemble butterflies, not UFOs. Construction of the estate began in 1978 and due to the death of several workers, financial problems of the investors and rumors of ghosts haunting the houses, it was never completed.
This is a unique contemporary art museum in Bilbao, Spain, designed by Frank O. Gehry. The official opening took place on October 18, 1997. The building surprises with wavy lines and flowing forms, which make the building really unusual. The museum is of impressive size – visitors to the building can enjoy as much as 24,000 square meters.
>> See also: The architect who built the ark and lived in it
The last strange building is the Gangster House in Arkhangelsk (Russia). The idea of erecting the building came to Nikolai Sutyagin in 1993, who set himself the goal of building the tallest house in the world out of wood. The building has 13 floors, but has never been 100% completed – it can hardly be called an attraction, rather an eyesore than a source of pride. For years the owner has been unable to come to an agreement with the city authorities, who are trying to demolish the house because of the threat of collapse.
