Weird and wonderful architectural designs from around the world

Here we celebrate our favourite weird and wonderful architectural designs from around the globe.

GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM, BILBAO, SPAIN

Like many buildings in Spain, the Guggenheim Museum is reflective of a time and movement; therefore the Guggenheim stands as a symbol of contemporary design. Frank Gehry, the architect behind the building, opted for curves in order to give the building a randomly assembled whole that would help showcase the art that sits inside from perspectives that wouldn’t otherwise be available, giving visitors the most unique experience.

LONGABERGER HEADQUARTERS, OHIO, UNITED STATES

The brainchild of the company themselves, the manufacturer originally wanted all Longberger buildings and offices to be shaped like baskets, but eventually settled on just the main headquarters in Ohio and that’s what makes it the wonderfully unique architectural design it is. Immediately recognisable and immediately clear in regards to what the business operates in, this is a stand out structure in quirky design and technology – with its handles housing heating systems that prevent them from damage during the harsh winter months.

EDEN PROJECT, CORNWALL, ENGLAND

A project conceived by Tim Smit and designed by architect Nicholas Grimshaw this complex of geodesic domes structures is a giant greenhouse, playing home to a huge range of plants collected from around the globe. Opened in 2001, the building is a huge tourist attraction spotlighting the hugely fascinating world Mother Nature has to offer and providing an experience like no other, for both human life and plant life alike.

HABITAT 67, MONTREAL, CANADA

 Built with the future very much in mind, Habitat 67 was created in 1967 by architect Moshe Safdie who created it as part of a thesis in which he envisioned what community living may look like in the future. The idea was to create urban apartments that focused on intimacy and that feeling of home, with each unit having its own garden in creating an apartment that felt more like a house as opposed to an apartment block. The idea was for it to be affordable housing, however, because of its unique nature, aesthetically pleasing design and all round package, the apartments ended up becoming something a little more luxurious which, given their look is not hard to see why!

TURNING TORSO, MALMÖ, SWEDEN

 

Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava was charged with putting together a design that was to become a landmark that would transcend the city and put it on the map as an area of business, politics and tourism. He’s definitely succeeded with the turning torso becoming one of the most uniquely designed structures in the Western Hemisphere and a favourite photographic attraction for visitors to  one of Sweden’s most famous citys.

PALAISIDÉAL, FRANCE

Unique on this list in that both the vision and construction was carried out by one man. Postman Ferdinand Cheval, with his bare hands, spent decades putting together what he thought of as his “ideal” abode or dream home. Each day he’d pick and carry stones, one by one, to construct the outer walls, binding them together with mortar and cement and carving the intricate designs and sculptures that define its overall aesthetic. The building stands as an homage to what can be achieved by the human body and mind.

THE PIANO HOUSE, ANHUI, CHINA

 

The name says everything; a house shaped like a giant piano, accompanied by an entrance in the form of a glass violin which allows entrance to the piano through a series of escalators inside said violin. Built by architectural students from Hefei University of Technology the captivating building is currently being used as a showroom for city planners who have a penchant for the flamboyant and, like we at Photoline, the weird and most definitely wonderful!

EXPERIENCE MUSIC PROJECT, SEATTLE, WA, USA

Dedicated to contemporary, popular culture, it stands to reason that the Experience Music Project museum, as a design, became a pop culture phenomenon in its own right. Founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and designed by Frank Gehry, the building sits as an ode to deconstructivsm and in particular the deconstruction or destruction of the electric guitar – one of western cultures most powerful pop culture tools. The project is a true Rock and roll mover and shaker in the architectural world and as weird and wonderful as they come.

STATA CENTRE, CAMBRIDGE, MA, USA

The Santa Center is another iconic ode to deconstructivism and another entry for Frank Gehry and his wonderfully creative mind. Opened 2004, the building is a 720’000 square foot academic complex, providing the very best in education for the students of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). With tilting columns at mystifying angles, quirky splashes of colour throughout  and an overall design that screams improvised, the building stands as a metaphor for the freedom, daring and creativity of the research that’s supposed to occur inside it.

FEDERATION SQUARE, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

Federation Square was the result of a competition in which the design brief was to better connect the street on which it lies (Flinders Street) with the adjoining Yarra River. After 177 designs were submitted it was a consortium of designers lead primarily by Donald Bates, Peter Davidson, Sylvia Karres and Bart Brands that won out in creating this supremely unique design that won out from both an aesthetic perspective and as practical view as it’s many interconnecting laneways and stairways provided seamless and safe access to the Yarra River and an open square in its epicentre proving an ideal stage for the viewing of public events.

Federation square is proof that unique design doesn't simply mean standing out aesthetically, it also very much means giving its users a practical experience.

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