20th century became a century of experiments. Modern society has good access to modern technologies and so it is easier for people to be more creative and to experiment – not only artists, whose works are becoming more and more innovative. The desire for experiments took also control of the architects. Tourism-Review.com presents the Top 10 of the world’s strangest buildings according to HotelResortInsider.com.
Top Strangest Buildings in the World
Daniel A. Tanner
- Jun 22, 2009
1/ Basket (Newark, Ohio)
The Basket in Ohio is a nice example of architect’s creativity. A house does not have to look like a house; this building is constructed in the shape of a giant yellow basket. The 7 storey headquarters of Longaberger – American company producing hand woven baskets – has even two 150-ton handles! The building is definitely worth seeing!
2/ Giant Shoe (Hellum, Pennsylvania)
We have an architect, then we mix his drawing talent with love for shoes, we find a group of skilled bricklayers and a house in the shape of a big shoe is created! Mahlon N. Haines, of Hellum Pennsylvania, the owner of the great shoe empire intended to celebrate his success with a house in the shape of a big 25 feet tall shoe. The house was used as a guest house for many years, now it is a museum of Mr. Haines.
3/ iPad (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
I-pod the latest craze in musical entertainment, many people have it, many people want it, many people can’t live without it! No wonder that even a building in a shape of an I-Pod is currently under construction. The I-Pod shaped 23 storey apartment tower (called iPad) can be found in Dubai in United Arab Emirates, where it has already earned huge appreciation worldwide. The whole project worth $ 800 million should be completed in 2010.
4/ The Dancing House (Prague, Czech Republic)
Vlado Milunic and Frank O. Gehry are the creators, who designed the so called Dancing House in Prague, Czech Republic, in 1996. It is created to look as if it was dancing. It is curved and large at the bottom, small in the center and then curved outward at the top.
Originally named “Fred and Ginger” (after Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers) the house stands out among the Neo-Baroque, Neo-Gothic and Art Nouveau buildings for which Prague is famous. However, others nicknamed it a “Drunk House”.
5/ The Toilet (Suweon, Korea)
The World Toilet Association took initiative and to commemorate its first general assembly they built a house in a shape of a toilet in Korea. The building promoting global sanitation includes four bedrooms and four bathrooms with deluxe toilets and whirlpool bathtubs. For one dollar you can look around and appreciate these porcelain beauties.
6/ The Robot (Bangkok, Thailand)
A giant building housing a bank in a shape of robot is to be found in Thailand. It grows gradually smaller towards the top and was built as a reaction against neoclassical and high-tech postmodern architecture. The shape of a robot should symbolize the modernization of the banking industry. Completed in 1986, the bank is one of the last examples of modern architecture in Bangkok.
7/ Wotruba Church (Vienna, Austria)
Even churches become a field for experimenting. Fritz Wotruba designed a church in Vienna that consists of 152 asymmetrically arranged concrete blocks. It looks like an enlarged piece of abstract sculpture that you can enter.
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