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Top 10 Bizarre Feats of Architecture

http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-bizarre-feats-of-architecture.php

Since mankind began, we’ve sought shelter as a place to conduct domestic and later, work life. As innovations developed, many different materials and building methods came into play, and architects got increasingly ambitious. Here’s a list of interesting architectural creations throughout the world – the good, the bad and the ugly.

10. Dar Al Hajar, Yemen

This palace, which protrudes from a rock formation above a valley in Wadi Dhahr, was constructed in the 1930s by the ruler Imam Yahya. Originally built as a summer residence, this remarkable building and its grand interior is now open to tourists. Photo by Ai@ce

9. Manchester Civil Justice Centre, England

Australian architects Denton Corker Marshall designed this multi-court building, which boasts the largest suspended glass wall in Europe, at 11,000m2. The same design team is currently in talks to create a sister court building in nearby Birmingham. Photo by Iain Peacock

8. The Stone House, Portugal

This domestic home was meticulously carved out of a large piece of stone. Although it’s privately owned, many trek to the top of this hill in Guimaraes to take photos and marvel at the unique residence. Photo byJsome1

7. Beijing National Stadium, China

This stadium – used in the 2008 Summer Olympics – was the brainchild of architects Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron, Stefan Marbach, Li Xinggang, and artist Ai Wei Wei. They came up with the design after studying Chinese ceramics and deciding on a “Birds Nest” theme. Photo uploaded by fgcp035

6. Kansas City Public Library

Established in 1873, Kansas City’s library was adapted to include this incredible wall of books, which run down 10th Street between Wyandotte Street and Baltimore Avenue. There are twenty-two 25 x 9 feet book spines featuring titles suggested by Kansas City readers, such as Catch 22, Huckleberry Finn, The Lord of the Rings and Charlotte’s Web. Photo by jonathan_moreau and Gwen’s River City Images

5. The Crooked House, Himley, England

This pub in the English West Midlands fell foul to too much coal removal beneath its footings during the mining period. The result was that it sunk to one side, causing drinks to roll off the table and punters feeling incredibly drunk after just a couple of beers. Buttressing has secured the building so it won’t slip any more, even though it’s still 15 degrees off angle. Photo by Gary S. Crutchley

4. Upside-Down House in Szymbark, Poland

Philanthropist and businessman Daniel Czapiewski created this house in 114 days, as a statement about Communism. It attracts thousands of tourists a year, who often complain of sea-sickness and dizziness after walking around the structure. Photo by Dirk Wegman

3. Habitat 67, Canada

Moshe Safdie was the designer behind this multi-cubed residential area in Montreal. Ironically, although they were designed with the intention of creating affordable but stylish accommodation, the domiciles rose in price as they rose in architectural infamy. Photo by P M M and hubertk

2. The Winchester Mystery House, California

This ex-personal residence of Sarah Winchester is now a popular tourist attraction due to its sheer oddness. Winchester demanded daily “from-the-ground-up” construction around-the-clock, without interruption, from 1884 until her death in 1922. This resulted in a huge mansion with seven stories (now four), 160 rooms, two ballrooms, spider motifs hidden in the designs and staircases and doors leading to nowhere. Photo by dalvenjah and Slightlynorth

1. Atomium, Brussels

The Atomium is a monument built for Expo ’58, the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair.
Designed by André Waterkeyn, it is 102-metre (335-feet) tall, with nine steel spheres connected so that the whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. Tubes which connect the spheres along the 12 edges of the cube and all eight vertices to the center enclose escalators connecting the spheres which contain exhibit halls and other public spaces. Photo byfatboyke

Honorary Mention – The Ice Hotel, Sweden

This seasonal ice hotel was built in Jukkasjärvi after a French artist held an exhibition in an igloo and visitors asked to stay the night. The hotel is rebuilt each year, between December and April, using over 5,000 tones of ice for the church, Absolut Icebar, reception, main hall and suites. Photo by Weerf

Crooked

Can you figure it out?

Florence Cathedral

"The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is the cathedral church (Duomo) of Florence, Italy, begun in 1296 in theGothic style to the design of Arnolfo di Cambio and completed structurally in 1436 with the dome engineered byFilippo Brunelleschi. The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink bordered by white and has an elaborate 19th century Gothic Revival facade by Emilio De Fabris.

The cathedral complex, located in Piazza del Duomo, includes the Baptistery and Giotto's Campanile. The three buildings are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the historic centre of Florence and are a major attraction to tourists visiting the region of Tuscany. The basilica is one of Italy's largest churches, and until the modern era, the dome was the largest in the world. It remains the largest brick dome ever constructed." (Wikipedia)

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

"Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (March 27, 1886 – August 17, 1969) was a German architect He is commonly referred to and addressed by his surname, Mies, by his colleagues, students, writers, and others.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, along with Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier, is widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of Modern architecture. Mies, like many of his post Wcontemporaries, sought to establish a new architectural style that could represent modern times just as Classical and Gothic did for their own eras. He created an influential 20th century architectural style, stated with extreme clarity and simplicity. His mature buildings made use of modern materials such as industrial steel and plate glass to define interior spaces. He strived towards an architecture with a minimal framework of structural order balanced against the implied freedom of free-flowing open space. He called his buildings "skin and bones" architecture. He sought a rational approach that would guide the creative process of architectural design. He is often associated with the aphorisms "less is more" and "God is in the details"." (Wikipedia)

Walter Gropius

Walter Gropius was born on May 18th, 1883 in Berlin, Germany, and is "widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture" (Wikipedia). Gropius was the founder of the Bauhaus School, a school of architecture, in 1919. The school was in operation from 1919 to 1933, when it was closed under pressure from the NSDAP (Nazi) regime.

The Father of Landscape Architecture: Frederick Law Olmsted

Born on April 26, 1822, Frederick Law Olmsted is considered by many to be the father of American landscape architecture. Much of Olmsted's fame is rooted in his designs of many well-known urban parks, including Central park and Prospect Park in New York City, New York. His work was by no means limited to New York, however. Rather, it spans from Boston to Palo Alto, covering tens of thousands of acres of urban land. Perhaps one of Olmsted's greatest works is the landscape surrounding the United State's Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Pictured is Olmsted's "Plans for the Hillhouse Property" on Yale University campus in New Haven, Connecticut.