Well, the world is a weird place where you may find lots of eccentric dwellings and buildings – thanks to the creative architects who love to express their individuality. Whether it is a residential place, a multi-purpose tower, a corporate building, a museum or a public building, eccentricity in any of them brightens the world around us. While some are artful, and others are whacky, here is a list of top 10 most eccentric buildings in the world:
1. Rotating Tower (Dubai)
Envisioned by architect Dr. David Fisher, the revolutionary Dynamic tower of Dubai is the world’s first building in motion. This rotating skyscraper having 80 stories rotates a full 360 degrees every 90 minutes where floors moving individually. Adjusting itself to the sun, wind, weather and views, the building never appears the same twice. It is amazing to look at different view or face the sunrise and sunset from the same window of your room. The tower consists of offices, a luxury hotel, residential apartments, luxury villas and is built in a prime location of Dubai.
2. National Centre for Performing Arts, China
The National Centre for the Performing Arts, that is abbreviated as the NCPA , is one of the newest and most unconventional buildings in China that took almost 6 years to be built. The amazing building looks like a giant egg which seems to be lying in an artificial lake. The structure is made up of titanium and glass and proudly showcases the successfully implemented project of Paul Andreu.
3. The Forest Spiral (Germany)
When we talk of amazing buildings, the Forest Spiral of Germany that was built in 2000 cannot be left out. Designed by an artist, Friedensreich Hundertwasser and executed by an architect, Heinz Springmann, this building is a masterpiece that resembles a spiral. The exhibition of the movement of the spiral plus the warm colors and beautiful highlights altogether make it a stylish, cozy and a real place to live in.
4. The Cubic Houses (Netherlands)
The cubic houses of Netherlands are fascinating structures that incorporate pioneering elements of avant-garde architecture. Designed by Piet Blom, these are cubes which are situated in different angles over hexagonal pylons. When this genius idea of constructing 38 such cubic houses was perfectly completed, the cubes put all together looked like a forest where each unit resembled a tree.
5. The Crooked House (Poland)
The Crooked house of Poland, located in a residential shopping centre is an architecture marvel that draws thousands of visitors. The eccentric structure gives an impression of a melting building or one that is sagged out of exhaustion. What is truly fascinating about the building is that it includes very few straight lines, especially towards the centre. The idea for the same was given by J.S Szancer, eminent children’s book designer and Per Dahlberg, a Swedish painter.
6. WonderWorks (USA)
WonderWorks buildings present in four locations in USA are amusement parks meant for unlimited family fun. All of these attractions which look like inverted buildings justify their slogan that says “Let your imagination run wild”. They feature over 100 interactive exhibits that cover fields of space, math and physics. These themed buildings look like they were thrown upside down after being picked up by severe weather.
7. Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Building (Branson, Missouri)
The Branson museum is one among a larger chain of museums that house bizarre artifacts owned by Ripley franchise. The structure had been designed to commemorate the devastating earthquake, measuring more than 8.0 on Richter scale that struck New Madrid, Missouri in 1812. The crack in the centre of the building gives the illusion that the structure just survived the earthquake and the structure also seems to be sinking inside the ground.
8. The Basket Building (Ohio)
The Basket building of Ohio is the headquarters to Longaberger Company, a successful company which has for long been known for basket manufacturing. The founder of the company Dave Longaberger had wanted his company buildings to be built in the shape of baskets. However his daughters countered his wishes after his death. This building is a 7-story replica of one of the company’s products and has sister buildings in various parts of the USA.
9. The Mushroom Tree House (Ohio):
The famous mushroom house, which is located in the Hyde park section of Cincinnati is a creation of late Terry Brown (Professor of Architecture and Interior Design at the University of Cincinnati), which he built with the help of university students from 1992 to 2006. The construction made up of tiles, metals, woods, shells and glass is a showcase of Brown’s eccentricity. The mushroom house looks like it was never built, but that it simply sprung up from the ground.
10. Kansas City Public Library (USA):
Possessing original and innovative features, the architecture of Kansas City Library is truly mesmerizing. The unusual architecture has been designed to look like a large bookshelf with a row of giant books lined up. The idea of a bookshelf evolved when community input was requested on how to beautify the new structure. The community votes were also considered to decide the titles of the 22 books showcased by the giant bookshelf, which belong to varied literature types including “Lord of the Rings”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “The Invisible Man”, “Catch-22” and “Charlotte’s web”.
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