Hundertwasser Building, Germany
The Hundertwasser Building, also known as the Forest Spiral, is located in Darmstadt, Germany. It was built by the famous Austrian architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser, and its structure is widely known for its vibrant colors. Even though it doesn't look like it, it is actually a residential complex, and the building was completed in 2000.
The building contains 105 apartments as well as a parking garage. In the past, the upper part of the building had restaurants, cafés, and bars that people could visit, but currently, there are no open amenities for visitors. Hundertwasser has built several buildings spread mainly throughout Germany and Austria, and all of them are quite unique and out of the ordinary.
Puzzling World, New Zealand
Puzzling World is a tourist attraction located near Wanaka, New Zealand. While it started out as a single-storied maze in 1973, it was later expanded and became an award-winning complex of optical illusions, as well as the world's first 3-D maze. Nowadays, Puzzling World attracts around half a million tourists every year.
The complex contains several bizarre attractions. One of the most outstanding ones is the optical illusion rooms, which are a set of rooms built at a 15-degree angle, containing illusions such as water flowing uphill. The complex also features the famous Leaning Tower of Wanaka, a tower inexplicably balanced on one corner, making the structure lean at an angle of 53 degrees to the ground. Impressive!
Habitat 67, Canada
This striking building is a model community and housing complex found in Montreal, Canada. It was built for _Expo 67,_ the World Fair organized in 1967 and was designed by the Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie. Nowadays, it is considered one of Montreal's most spectacular buildings.
This structure is made up of 354 identical, prefabricated concrete forms, which have been arranged in different combinations. These 354 blocks form a total of 146 residences of different sizes, and each home has at least one private terrace. Even though it appears to be lower, the building is actually 12 stories high.
House Between The Rocks, France
The House Between the Rocks, also known as Castle Meur, is a beautiful cottage located in the scenic little village of Plougrescant, in the French region of Brittany. It was built in 1861, a time when housing permits didn't exist, which meant that people could practically build houses wherever they wanted to. If this had not been the case, I'm pretty sure a housing permit would not have been granted, don't you think?
The house is located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Apparently, the owner decided to build the house between both rocks in order to protect it from the violent storms that generally occur in the region. The current occupant of the house, who is the first owner's granddaughter, has been living here since 2004\. Unfortunately, the house cannot be visited; in fact, the owner has built a perimeter wall around the property in order to protect it and avoid tourists.
Cubic Houses, Netherlands
The Kubuswoningen, also known as The Cubic Houses, is a set of modern and innovative houses constructed in Rotterdam and Helmond, in the Netherlands. They were designed by architect Piet Blom, based on the concept of "living as an urban roof", which consists in guaranteeing a high-density housing, but at the same time sufficient space at the ground level.
As you can see, the designer chose to tilt the cubes 45 degrees, making its aspect even more bizarre. Reportedly, the whole complex represents a village within a city, while each individual house is supposed to represent a tree, and the houses altogether represent a forest. Each house has three floors: the first one contains the living room and kitchen, the second one has two bedrooms and a bathroom, while the third floor is generally used as a small garden.
Reversible Destiny Lofts Mitaka, Japan
Reversible Destiny Lofts Mitaka is a housing complex located in Tokyo, Japan, built by architects Madeline Gins and Shusaku Arakawa. Some of its houses are used as rental housing, while others are used for educational programs. But apart from its extravagant and multiple shapes and colors, what's so special about it?
The lofts have spherical rooms, undulating concrete floors, and brightly colored walls, making it seem like a building coming straight out of _Alice in Wonderland._ However, the inside is just as bizarre as the outside. In fact, poles and ladders run from the floor to the ceiling in unexpected and random places. Furthermore, each apartment is supposed to resemble a playground. Too surreal to be true.
Guitar Museum, USA
This building isn't the only guitar museum in the world, but it's definitely the only guitar-shaped guitar museum. The museum is named The Grand Guitar and was built in 1983 in Bristol, Tennessee, the self-proclaimed "Birthplace of Country Music." Joe Morrell, the museum's creator, has stated: _"I've always thought, why would anyone stop at a square building that looked like every other building_?".
The building is 70 feet long and three stories high, and it was originally painted to resemble one of Martin Dreadnought's guitars. The building houses a gift shop, a recording studio, a country music AM radio station, and Morrell's personal collection of guitars and other musical instruments. In 2014, this museum was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Kansas Public Library, USA
Believe it or not, this building is the parking garage of Kansas City's Public Library. But why was it built with such a sophisticated design? Well, it turns out that while the garage was being built, the people chose a series of books they felt best represented their history and culture to be included in the construction. But th0e first book that appears in the picture below is Lao Tzu's _Tao Te Ching_. Since when is that representative of Kansas' culture?
The building was inaugurated in 2004, and each book is 9 feet long and 25 feet tall. The shelf features 22 books and includes famous titles such as Tolkien's _The Lord of the Rings,_Harper Lee's _To Kill a Mockingbird _and Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet_.
Atomium, Belgium
The Atomium is a famous landmark building located in Brussels, the capital city of Belgium. Designed by the engineer Andrea Waterkeyn and architect Jean Polak, it was first constructed for the 1958 World's Expo held in Brussels but it is currently a museum. It is 102 meters high, and its 18-meter-wide stainless steel spheres are connected so that the whole structure forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal.
On its inside, the building contains stairs, escalators, and finally a lift in the central vertical tube, which provides access to the five habitable spheres. Each one of them contains exhibit halls as well as other public spaces. As you may imagine, the top sphere offers a panoramic view of the city, apart from hosting a restaurant.
The Amazing Flying House, Italy
I know what you're thinking: it's hard to understand what this building is about. Located in the Italian town of Sarzana, this completely strange structure is actually very unique and innovative: it runs on rails, the reason for which it can swivel 360 degrees and move up and down. Who would've thought?
I know it sounds like a complete lie, but it is said that the man who built the house did it all by himself. And after completing his masterwork, he resided in the house for seven years, together with his wife. He reportedly built it on rails because he was uneasy about the sun not always being in the right place. True or not, the guy is a genius.
Teakettle Building, USA
If you ride across Highway 60, in between the towns of Lexington and Buena Vista, Virginia, you will eventually come across this giant teakettle-shaped building. This two-storied corrugated metal structure was built in the 1950s and was actually once a restaurant,
Ever since the restaurant closed, the giant coffee pot has been inhabited by different businesses. For instance, during the 1990s, a vacation canoe rental functioned in this building. Moreover, in 2010, it was used as a fresh fish market. As you can see, the same structure has served a varied range of random functions.
Stone House, Portugal
For quite a long time, many people have believed that this house was a hoax, but a group of journalists decided to look into it and finally discovered that it was, indeed, real. The house is named Casa do Penedo, and it is located in between the Portuguese towns of Celorico de Basto and Fafe. Without a doubt, it was inspired by the Flintstones' house since the resemblance is uncanny.
As you can see, it is made up of four boulders that serve as the house's foundation, walls, and ceiling. Its construction began in 1972 and was finished in 1974\. While the house was initially used by the owners as a holiday destination, it currently hosts a small museum of relics and photographs from Penedo's history.
The Robot Building, Thailand
The famous Robot Building, located in the Thai capital of Bangkok, houses the United Overseas Bank's headquarters. It was initially designed for the Bank of Asia by architect Sumet Jumsai with the intention of reflecting the computerization of banking. Furthermore, the building's architectural style is a reaction against neoclassical and high-tech postmodern architecture.
But not only is the overall structure shaped like a robot. Many of the building's features, such as its progressively receding walls, antennas, and eyes, contribute to its robotic appearance. The building was completed in 1986, and it represents one of the greatest examples of modern architecture in Bangkok.
Wonder Egg, Japan
It was given that Japan had to appear more than once on this list. This building is known as Wonder Egg and it is located on Ishigakijima Island. Even the name of the island is strange! You're probably wondering what on earth the building can be useful for. Well, apparently it is meant to be a lookout tower for birdwatchers.
This egg-shaped structure is located in the middle of Banna Park, a sanctuary that is home to more than 2,500 species of birds. The building is an example of mimetic architecture since it is supposed to resemble a giant bird's hatched egg. Tourists can climb to the top open level of the egg, which offers amazing views of the island. It was actually not a bad idea, right?
The Sheep Building, New Zealand
I don't know if you agree, but I think that the animal-shaped buildings are the best ones. This building, which is shaped like a sheep, was built in a small town of Tirau, New Zealand. It was finished in 1990, but a couple of years later, other giant animal structures were built, such as a dog one.
These buildings host the i-SITE visitor center and they feature a wool shop and a craft shop, which are located in what would be the sheep's stomach. The building's head was created by local artisan Steven Clothier. The most recently added building was a big ram, which was finished in 2016. What will the next animal be?
The Crooked House, Poland
So far, we've seen many innovative and complex buildings, but I'm pretty sure that none of the ones mentioned before can compare to this ungeometrical structure. Krzywy Domek, also known as The Crooked House, is an unusually shaped building located in Sopot, Poland. Built-in 2004, it is about 4,000 square meters, and it hosts the Rezydent shopping center.
The building was designed by Szoty & Zaleski, who was apparently inspired by the fairytale drawings of the Polish illustrator Jan Marcin Szancer. This comes of no surprise since it does seem like a fairytale drawing, doesn't it? The house's surrealist details include its stone elevation decors, the colorful stained glass entrances, and the set of windows framed with sandstone.
Hang Nga Guesthouse, Vietnam
This building is just puzzling: it's impossible to tell what it's meant to represent, and its design doesn't seem to follow any particular theme. Also known as the Crazy House, the building is actually a guesthouse located in Da Lat, Vietnam. It was designed by architect Dang Viet Nga and it is owned by the daughter of Vietnam's ex-president.
None of the windows look alike, and the overall building is supposed to resemble a tree and it contains sculptured design elements that represent natural forms, like animals, spider webs and caves. In fact, if you look closely, you will find a large giraffe head sticking out of the ground. As its architecture is comprised of non-rectilinear shapes, it has often been described as an expressionist.
Piano-Shaped Building, China
Music lovers, wait no further: this piano and violin-shaped building located in Huainan, China, is definitely the place where you wanna go. This giant structure was built in 2007 by architectural students at Hefei University of Technology. In order to access the piano-shaped structure, you must go up a staircase located inside the glass violin. Original, huh?
This building is currently being used as a showroom for city planners. However, it would be a perfect place for music events and pop shows, wouldn't it? In fact, the first story of the piano is comprised of two different concert halls, and it is also used as a practice area by musicians that attend nearby local colleges. Now, if you feel that these buildings were bizarre, wait until you check out our top 5!
Elephant Building, Thailand
Thailand's capital city of Bangkok is not only known for its breathtaking Royal Palace but also because of this bizarre elephant-shaped structure known as The Elephant Building. It's hard to imagine how the designers and architects came up with this idea, but one thing is for sure: they have a great sense of humor.
This building was an idea of Arun Chaisaree and architect Ong-ard Satrabhandhu. In the year 2011, it was ranked fourth in the "20 World's Iconic Skyscrapers" by CNNGo. The building has 32 stories, and it is 305 feet high. Inside the building, there is a shopping mall, a swimming pool, and even several residential apartments.
The Basket Building, USA
We've seen pretty bizarre buildings up til now, but none of them beat this enormous structure with the shape of a basket. This building happens to be the headquarters of the Longaberger Basket Company in Newark, Ohio. As you can see, the company's headquarters was constructed in order for it to look exactly like the baskets that they produce.
It is said that many experts tried to convince the company's CEO David Longaberger to go for another design, but apparently, he had his mindset on the basket idea. Longaberger actually wanted all of the company's buildings to be shaped like baskets, but only its main headquarters had been completed by the time he died. He would definitely not be happy by the fact that this giant basket structure was sold to another company in December 2017.
Shark Bar, Russia
This bar, located in the Russian city of Perm, is truly one of a kind. One of the first questions that inevitably pops into your mind when looking at it is: what on earth is it made up of? Well, it turns out that this extravagant yet cool-looking bar was made up from different parts of an old boat. Some people may say that it looks ridiculous, but nobody can say that it isn't eco-friendly!
This bar is also located on the banks of the Kama River. Therefore, when the river's water level rises, it seems as if the shark water were sitting on top of the water. We must admit that it was a fantastic idea. Can you guess which are the last two buildings on our list?
Upside Down House, Poland
This extravagant house, which was built by a Polish businessman named Daniel Czapiewski, has been constructed entirely upside down. It is one of the few tourist attractions of the small Polish village of Szymbark, which is 39 kilometers southwest from Gdansk. As you can see in the picture above, not only is it upside down, but it is also tilted. How on earth did they make this possible?
Czapiewski intended this artwork to be a representation of the end of the communist rule in Poland. The house was completed in 2007, but it took several years to build. Apparently, one of the factors that made the construction phase longer than expected was the disorientation experienced by tradesmen that worked on the upside-down house. In fact, many tourists have reported feelings of seasickness just after a few minutes within the building.'
The Pineapple, Australia
Was the building inspired by _Spongebob Squarepants'_ house, or was it the other way around? Well, it happens to be that this 2-storied giant pineapple was built in 1971, so the TV show was probably inspired by this nearly 50-year-old building. Named Big Pineapple, this building is actually a heritage-listed tourist attraction located in Nambour, Australia.
This site is, unsurprisingly, the biggest pineapple building in the world. I know what you're thinking: it's probably the only one. Wrong! There is yet another pineapple building in Australia, but this one copied it and made it 56 feet tall, two feet taller than the original one. Currently, visitors are able to climb the pineapple. Basically, there's nothing about it that is not bizarre.