Insanely Mind-Blowing Buildings around
the World
Architecture
has remained a crucial expression of cultural and societal growth throughout
history. Nowadays, innovative building techniques and new materials and
ways of thinking give us almost unlimited potential when it comes to this
art form. Mixing old and new, natural and modern, the following
mind-blowing buildings from around the world might make your head spin and
your jaw drop.
Indira
Gandhi Planetarium, India
This
completely air-conditioned planetarium has a state of art projection system,
which gives special effects while projecting. Art projecting system, digital
sound and lift-ramp for handicapped persons are the other facilities available
here.
This
mind-blowing building in India opened in 1993. Serving as a planetarium,
this building’s design was obviously influenced by its function. The building
conjures images of Saturn, complete with a series of rings. A truly eye-opening
building that’s both unique and inspiring.
Montaña Mágica Lodge, Chile
Montaña Magica is a mountain shaped hotel that has
been covered by vegetation and features a permanent waterfall. The cosy rooms
here have wooden interiors and boast a private bathroom and garden views. At Montaña Mágica Lodge guests always find a
restaurant, meeting facilities, a games room and a ticket service. An array of
activities can be enjoyed on site or in the surroundings, including skiing,
cycling and horseback riding. The property offers free parking. Montaña Mágica Lodge is located 3 km from
Puerto Fuy and 6 km from Neltume.
This exclusive hotel in Chile resembles the shape of a
volcano. With only nine rooms inside, this hotel spews water in place of lava.
This incredible, mind-blowing building is startlingly beautiful, and is nestled
in the heart of a gorgeous natural reserve in South America.
Singapore
Pavilion, Singapore
The Singapore pavilion was
designed to resemble a "music box", whose sound could be heard by
visitors even before they entered. Its exhibition sections of different shapes
were linked by gentle slopes and stairs. It integrated different design
elements - music fountain, audio visual interplay and distinctive flowers on
the roof garden, manifesting the harmony between cities and nature, as well as
Singapore's originality and diverse cultures. Four columns of varying sizes
supported its structural system and floors above, symbolizing Singapore’s races
living, working and playing together on the same ground. Ramps and stairs
suspended off trusses led to the upper floors.
The Singapore
Pavilion is ingenious and inspiring. Shaped like a music box, this building is
meant to represent citizens of Singapore from different cultures and
backgrounds all living in harmony. Not only does this mind-blowing building
incorporate interesting and unique design, it also features a large rooftop
garden.
Toilet-Shaped House, South Korea
The fascinating,
original shape and the first ever toilet-shaped house was built 40 km from
Seoul, the capital of South Korea by Sim Jae-Duck. What should not surprise you
is that he is the president of the World toilet Association. The Toilet-shaped
House covers an area of 4508 square meters and it has four luxury bathrooms,
each with water conservation devices and elegant fittings. There is a more
special toilet, located in the centre of the house.
It has electronic sensors to move
up or down the lid when needed, a mechanism that produces steam and other music
that start when someone enters. Sim Jae-Duck called his house Haewoojae which
means in Korean “the sanctuary where you can solve any concern” and it was
built as a symbol of continuous efforts made by it to promote clean and
hygienic toilets worldwide.
Nautilus
House, Mexico
This unique, shell-shaped house was built in 2006 by
Mexican architect Javier Senosiain of Arquitectura Organica.
Designed to emphasize a harmony with nature, this
mind-blowing building uses organic forms to create a warm and original
space. Making use of many different materials, this house has a feeling all its
own. A blend of art and modern architecture, the house even features an
indoor garden.
Masdar City, Abu Dhabi
This incredible structure is not one building, but
many. Occupying 64,120,320 square feet, this project is actually meant to
be a futuristic city.
The structure will rely entirely on renewable
resources, and is planned to be carbon-neutral and car-free. Created by Masdar,
also known as the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, the entire city will be
self-sustaining.
Crystal Island, Russia
This eye-catching building in Moscow is set to become
the world’s largest building.
This incredible tower is planned to offer 27,000,000
square feet of floor space. Additionally, this tower will include a thermal
buffer on the outside of the building, one that is removable in the summer for
increased ventilation.
Sutyagin
House, Russia
The city of Archangel in Russia's
far northwest is an ice-encrusted port that is home to Arctic fishermen,
lumberjacks and people like Nikolai Petrovich Sutyagin, a Russian businessman
and convicted arms racketeer. Sutyagin, once the wealthiest man in the city,
started construction of his house in 1992 and kept at it for fifteen years. His
efforts yielded this 13-floor phantasmagorical pile, considered by some to be
the tallest wooden structure in the world. It even housed a five-story
bathhouse where Sutyagin entertained his associates and girlfriends. But
Sutyagin's fortunes would dip following a four-year prison term and, in 2008,
his home was condemned as a fire hazard by the city government. It was slowly
demolished the following year.
Although it’s no longer standing, this eclectic
house looked like it came out of a story book. Its builders claimed
it was likely the world’s tallest wooden houses. The house began to be
constructed in 1992, and reached an incredible 13 stories high, with a 44
meter tower.
Piano
and Violin Building, China
This musically inspired building in Huainan City,
China was built in 2007.
Intended to promote a newly developed area, the
building incorporated designers from Huainan Fangkai Decoration Project
Company, along with help from students from the Hefey University of Technology.
Though this building is stunning during the day, the mind-blowing building
makes use of bright lights to really turn up the spectacle after dark.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Building, United Kingdom
Claiming the title of the most environmentally
friendly building in London is the PricewaterhouseCoopers building.
This marvelous structure makes use of
renewable energy sources and integrates an advanced IT system. This system lets
workers change the light and temperature in their space to suit their
individual needs.
India
Tower, Mumbai
This impressive building in Mumbai is another one to
make use of environmentally friendly features.
Expected to be completed in 2016, the building is
meant to signify the country’s step towards environmentally friendly solutions.
Not only does the tower use natural lighting and natural ventilation, it also
recycles rainwater.
Nakagin
Capsule Tower, Japan
This unique building in Tokyo, Japan, was completed in
1972.
Perfecting small-space living, this capsule tower
features small, compact living spaces.
The
UFO Houses, Taiwan
This collection of beautiful houses in Taiwan is also
known as Sanzhi Pod City. Originally intended as a vacation resort, these
houses were completed in the late 1970s.
However, the houses were abandoned in 1980 due to
investment losses and several deaths during construction. Many different
stories abound regarding the cause of the deaths, with one popular account
blaming dissecting a dragon sculpture near the entrance in order to widen the
road. In any case, these eye-popping houses were sadly demolished in 2010, to
make way for a commercial, seaside resort.
Ferdinand
Cheval Palace (Ideal Palace), France
This unbelievable building in France took much
longer to build than most structures.
Struck by the stones in a particular area of his mail
route, Ferdinand Cheval collected rocks for 33 years. As legend has it, first
he carried the stones in his pocket, but soon moved up to using a basket and a
wheelbarrow. To build the building, he often worked at night by the light of
oil lamps.
BMW
Welt, Germany
This space age-looking building is not only eye
catching, it’s a triumph of green energy as well.
The roof is covered in solar cells and the
mind-blowing building makes use of natural ventilation. Additionally,
large steel panels heat quickly in the sun, and help regulate the building’s
temperature.
Cubic
Houses, The Netherlands
These stunning houses in the Netherlands were
created by Piet Blom.
The architect implemented this unique design when
asked to build houses over a preexisting pedestrian bridge. Said to represent
abstract trees, each cube contains three levels of livable space.
Tower
of Glass, Russia
This is another concept building, this time proposed
to be built in the middle of the woods.
Destined for Siberia, this mind-blowing
building is designed to catapult the amount of solar electricity captured
by solar panels due to daytime reflections. Made largely of glass, the
structure is truly impressive.
House
Attack, Austria
This installation at the largest art museum in
Austria, The Museum Moderner Kunst (MUMOK), conjures the image of a small
family home hurtling itself onto the roof.
Designed by artist Erwin Wurm, this building is
appropriately titled “House Attack”.
The Dancing House, Czech Republic
The Dancing House and the Fred and Ginger building are
common nicknames given to the Nationale-Nederlanden building in the Czech
Republic.
The fluid building was designed in 1992 and completed
in 1996.
The
Bank of Asia (Robot Building), Thailand
This building looms over the business district of
Bangkok, Thailand, and is home to the Bank of Asia’s Bangkok headquarters.
Said to be inspired by the computerization of big
banking, this architecture incorporates a love of technology and modern art.
Completed in 1986, this mind-blowing building is truly one of a kind.
Hundertwasser
Building, Germany
This eye-opening building in Darmstadt, Germany, is a
truly creative residential building. The unique front defies the typical grid
pattern, with windows appearing to be out of order.
The exterior is meant to mimic sediment layers in the
ground, creating an arresting stripe pattern. Inside this 12-floor
building there’s a small artificial lake, courtyard, playground, and 105
apartments.
Vertical
Village, Dubai
This astounding center in Dubai is currently
in construction. The building features a massive spiderweb of solar cells at
the south end of the building, but retains the ability to angle the solar
collectors towards the sun.
Not only that, the east- and north-facing sides of the
building are self shading, reducing the need for artificial cooling. On top of
being massively energy-efficient, the building will also have a beautiful
and inspiring interior. The village is slated to include hotels, shops,
cinemas, a theater, and restaurants, making this mind-blowing building an
awe-inspiring center.
Incredible
Cube Structure ACME United Nations Memorial Space, South Korea
Another building that sadly is still a concept is this
unbelievable cube structure imagined for the United Nations Memorial Space.
This design was one of the finalists in a South Korean
competition looking for original ways to build up a United Nations peace park.
Incredibly, individual cells are combined to make up this large cube structure.
