If you ever feel like some architects live in their own fantasy land, you’re not the only one. The buildings that they create can range from majestic all the way to magical, and they’re sure to catch your eye with their flying buttresses, stoic columns, angelic balconies, and fearsome facades. However, you can sometimes get the idea that some of these artistic innovators haven’t fully thought some things through—like the fact that people actually have to live and work in the buildings they design.
We’ve got some dreamy and confusing buildings to show you today, dear Pandas, so take out your opera glasses, grab yourself some popcorn, and let’s go take a tour through the crème de la crème of the ‘Bizarre Buildings’ subreddit. Check out some of the coolest-looking buildings that people might have a hard time living in, upvote the ones that you enjoyed the most, and let us know which one you’d pick as your home in the comment section.
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I had a lovely chat about architecture with Dr. June Komisar from Ryerson University. Dr. Komisar, who is a specialist in architectural design, the history and theory of architecture, and designing for urban agriculture, told Bored Panda that professionals should look to the “wise” ancient Roman writer Vitruvius for inspiration. “What he said about balancing commodity (the suitability of the building to needs), firmness (structural integrity), and delight (the aesthetics of the building and its relationship to site and context) still holds.”
#1 600 Year Old Clock Located In Prague Is The World’s Oldest Astrological Clock Still In Operation!
Image credits: savvyf***
#2 Cat Shaped Kindergarten, Germany
Image credits: lisino
#3 Pavilion Of The Enlightened, Thailand
Image credits: westernmail
Dr. Komisar pointed out to Bored Panda that no matter how good an architect is, they won’t be able to be prepared for all potential problems and eventualities. “But understanding the site conditions and evaluating other buildings using the same construction techniques and materials can help avoid problems,” she said.
I was also interested to learn about how architects can innovate and create originality when it sometimes seems like every single idea has already be done. According to Dr. Komisar, the changes don’t have to be something profound. Start small.
#4 This Building In Guizhou, China
Image credits: Looks_pretty_cool
#5 The Evolution Of This Building Can Be Seen In It’s Masonry
Image credits: malgoya
#6 The National Carpet Museum In Baku, Azerbaijan
Image credits: abaganoush
“Innovation does not have to be radical, but can be an incremental change that will benefit the users and society at large. At the moment we have a huge opportunity to build sustainable buildings that approach or attain a ‘net zero’ energy cost. By using local and/or sustainable materials, designing for passive and/or active solar and wind power, designing for very low energy usage, and renovating and adapting existing buildings we can help to mitigate climate change.”
Dr. Komisar continued: “Addressing this environmental crisis is not only an issue that we must address but also is a tremendous opportunity for design innovation. Addressing these concerns will most definitely introduce a variety of creative solutions.”
#7 Giant 16th-Century ‘Colossus’ Sculpture In Florence, Italy Has Entire Rooms Hidden Inside
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Image credits: comics0026
#8 The Interlace – Singapore
Image credits: terchon
#9 This Is What Happens When The Owner Of One Half Of A Townhouse Refuses To Sell
Image credits: malgoya
Architecture is a tough nut to crack. On the one hand, it’s a very functional and rational sphere of activity that literally designs the spaces in which we live, work, and sleep. On the other hand, it’s an artistic expression that puts form on the same level of importance as function. After all, if you’re going to build something (anything!) at all, why not make it stunning?
So of course, it’s up to the architect to solve an engineer’s ever-lasting riddle: how do you innovate and create something iconic while also making sure that your building doesn’t cause people to riot and denounce it in the news?
#10 Unique Housing In Netherlands
Image credits: tanmaypendse63
#11 Turtle Building
Image credits: logatwork
#12 The Department Of Fisheries In Hyderabad, India
Image credits: GreenPlasticChair
Well, 99 Designs points out that buildings should be innovative, eye-catching, and ought to pop out of their surroundings. And that means bending the rules and bucking (at least some) conventions.
However, paradoxically, the architect should also be very aware of the building’s surroundings, using them as a complementary backdrop. You can still have your modern masterpiece as long as you pay tribute to the building’s more traditional surroundings with the details, colors, etc.
And it’s with regards to the surroundings that your choice of materials and the way that you shape your project come in—they’re deeply expressive decisions that you should be thinking about as soon as you start sketching out your ideas for your project.
And always, always keep in mind that even though you’re creating a work of art, it’s got to be practical. Otherwise, what’s the point of architecture when sculpture-making would give you the full freedom to express yourself.
#13 The Sheep Building (Tirau, Waikato, New Zealand)
Image credits: Athena5000
#14 Living Like A Caveman With Modern Amenities
Image credits: malgoya
#15 An Original 1930’s Shell Gas Station
Image credits: DrFetusRN
The r/bizarrebuildings community celebrated its 5th birthday just a few short months ago, in March, and it’s going strong. Currently, the subreddit has over 131k members and we can see that number rising in the future.
Be sure to give the community a visit if you enjoyed the photos in this list. Pop in for a quick ‘hello, how are you?’ or consider posting a weird-looking yet totally awesome building, too.
“If it’s a bizarre building, it belongs here. No, not pictures of buildings having a Christmas bizarre [look]. We want unique, one-of-a-kind buildings!” the ‘Bizarre Buildings’ moderators shared what their online group is all about.
You heard it here, folks—your regular holiday-decoration-bizarre just won’t cut it. You’ve got to go for bizarre bizarre. Crank the weirdness all the way up to eleven so even Alice thinks she’s still in Wonderland. Just remember that when you innovate, you also have the ability to do the climate some good, too!
#16 Japanese Moka Train Station In A Shape Of A Locomotive
Image credits: Longrua1231
#17 This Is The Proposed Crescent Moon Tower For Dubai
Image credits: malgoya
#18 Container House In The Desert
Image credits: Yoda_Holmes
#19 When Your Growing Family Needs An Upgrade But You Love That Cozy Cottage
Image credits: malgoya
#20 Kazakhstan’s Tower Of The Sun By Fundamental Architects
Image credits: earthmoonsun
#21 Treehouse Restaurant (Demolished), Okinawa
Image credits: Eyeletblack
#22 An Awesome Building In Chile
Image credits: malgoya
#23 When You’re An Architect Whose Brother-In-Law Owns A Struggling Window Store
Image credits: mike_pants
#24 This One-Of-A-Kind Pixelated Facade On The Mahanakhon Tower In Bangkok, Thailand
Image credits: savvyf***
#25 Abandoned Potato Sorting Station In Ukraine
Image credits: Dvisionvoid
#26 The Stockholm Telephone Tower With Approximately 5,500 Telephone Lines, 1890
Image credits: earthmoonsun
#27 Tianzi Hotel, China
Image credits: Creepy_Green_Light_
#28 Walden 7 In Barcelona, Spain
Image credits: earthmoonsun
#29 Sou Fujimoto’s “Arbre Blanc” Tower In Montpellier, France
Image credits: passeko
#30 Bizarre Chicken
Image credits: NeonRhyn0
#31 Inverted Pyramid House In Spain
Image credits: earthmoonsun
#32 When You Have The Money But Not The Land (Batié, Cameroon)
Image credits: biwook
#33 Saemoonan Church In Seoul, Korea
Image credits: fab1000
#34 There’s A Huge Open Market In The Netherlands With Apartments Inside
Image credits: malgoya
#35 This Tiny House
Image credits: lisino
#36 Seafood Restaurant? An Institute For Marine Biology? Or A Headquarters For Crab People Hiding In Plain Sight?!
Image credits: FoxFoxington
#37 “My Apartment Is Right Off The Highway”
Image credits: savvyf***
#38 Austria
Image credits: smokinpeteria
#39 Apartment In Katayama, Japan
Image credits: earthmoonsun
#40 “Local Man In Altus, Ok Arrested After Firing A Trebuchet At A Group Of Girl Scouts. His Wife Was Quoted As Saying ‘I Wish I Hadn’t Given In To Him Begging For That Damn Castle Turret When We Had The House Built, He’s Been Mentally Stuck In The Middle Ages Since 1981’”
Image credits: AsymptoticAbyss
#41 University Of Technology Sydney (Uts)’s Business School Building
Image credits: blurred_
#42 Store Front In Kyoto
Image credits: DrFetusRN
#43 The Frame In Dubai- Elevator Up, Walk Across A Glass Floor, Elevator Down
Image credits: lovesliterati
#44 Shenzhen International Airport Looks Like A Giant Airplane
Image credits: savvyf***
#45 The Largest Hotel In The World, With A Staggering 10,000 Rooms Is Currently Under Construction In Saudi Arabia
Image credits: malgoya
#46 A Rare Sighting Of Two Buildings In The Wild Having Intercourse
Image credits: malgoya
#47 Spiral House, Ramat Gan
Image credits: Zvi Hecker
#48 The Peachoid, A 135 Feet (41 M) Tall Water Tower In Gaffney, South Carolina
Image credits: Teillu
#49 The New Louis Vuitton Store In Tokyo
Image credits: biwook
#50 Plot #1282, A Residential Building In Beirut Designed By Bernard Khoury
Image credits: sacrecoeur1206
Source: boredpanda.com