The strangest buildings in the world. The authors of these structures break all stereotypes about architecture
The appearance of cities largely depends on the history and culture of the place. American cities will look different than Arab or European cities built centuries ago. However, in any country you can find strange, unusual structures that make you think and try to understand what the author had in mind. Here are 10 of the most incredible buildings in the world.
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1. Dancing House, Czech Republic
The Dancing House, also known as "Ginger and Fred", named after the famous dance couple Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, was built in the 1990s. The building, reminiscent of two dancing people from afar, was designed by architects Vlado Milunich and Frank Geary. It also symbolizes the radical transition from communism to democracy. The Dancing House is an office building with a restaurant on the top floor from where you can admire the city.
2. Crooked house, Poland
Crooked house, which is part of a shopping center, is known throughout the world, and some ratings call it the strangest in the world. It was built in 2004 by the architects Szotyński and Zaleski, inspired by fairy tale drawings and illustrations by Jan Marcin Schanzer and Per Dahlberg.
3. Frame Dubai, Dubai
Frame Dubai is by far the largest photo frame in the world - 150 m high and 105 m wide. It was invented by Fernando Donis, the winner of a design competition organized by the Dubai authorities. Donis decided that instead of building another monument, it would be better to frame existing buildings. The 48-story building is designed in the form of a huge golden photo frame, which is located in a spacious recreational park called Zaabil.
4. Office of the National Fisheries Development Council, India
If by the appearance of each office one could judge what is inside it, then there would probably be many unusual buildings on our planet that could be admired. The Indians decided to take a chance, and in 2012 commissioned the office building of the National Council for the Development of Fisheries, similar to a giant fish. Interestingly, the inspiration was Frank Gehry's Swimming Fish in Barcelona. The resemblance is, of course, small.
5. Basket house, USA
Where else can you locate the headquarters of a company that produces handmade wooden baskets, if not in a building that looks like a huge basket. The construction of the 7-storey structure was completed in 1997. It has an atrium with a glass ceiling that allows natural light in. Interestingly, the handles of the baskets, each weighing 75 tons, are heated so that the glass roof is not damaged by falling ice.
6. Kansas City Library, USA
The purpose of this building is not difficult to guess. The appearance of the Kansas City Library makes it the most unusual in the world. It's all about the unique architecture of the building, made in the form of a giant bookshelf. The titles of the books (such as JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet or A. A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh) were not chosen by chance. They reflect the readership interests of the population. When you look at this library, you want to go inside and take a small stack of books.
7. Gereja Ayam, Indonesia
The name of the building is translated as "Chicken Church" because most of it resembles a chicken. However, according to the designer, it must be a dove. The idea behind this project is quite interesting. It was to become a place of prayer or meditation for followers of any religion in the world. Unfortunately, the building was never completed and has been slowly deteriorating since 2000.
8. Music House, China
The glass building in the shape of a violin leaning against a piano was built in 2007 in Huainan. The designers were students of the Faculty of Architecture of Hefei University. You might think that the building was built for classical music lovers, but it has nothing to do with music itself. It serves as an exhibition hall to showcase urban development plans.
9. Haines Shoe House, USA
Mahlon Haynes, an American shoe merchant, decided to build a shoe-shaped house to advertise his business. The 7.6 m high building appeared in 1948, but the owner never lived in it. He settled across the street from him and rented out the "shoe" as a weekend home for elderly couples.
10. Ark Encounter, USA
In 2016, an amusement park was built in Grant County, Kentucky, the central element of which was a copy of Noah's Ark - the largest wooden structure in the world: the ark is 155 m long, 26 m wide, and 9-story building high. Inside the building are cabins with models of animals taken from the book of Genesis. The attraction is designed for 10,000 visitors per day.