Everyone has a different way of expressing themselves. Some choose art forms like music and dancing, others like to write poems and prose. However, one of the most underrated forms of art is architecture. Designing a great home is no easy task. A home where its residents can feel more comfortable than anywhere else in the world.
Although most architects design homes that fit properly into the urban centres all around the world, there are a few who like to stand out. They use their homes to make a statement. Here’s a look at some of the strangest and bizarre houses from around the world.
1. Transparent House in Tokyo, Japan
If you’re a fan of having natural daylight in your house, this is the house for you. It’s completely transparent, so lots of sunlight, but no privacy. Built by Sou Fujimoto Architects, this house is inspired by our ancestors who lived in trees.
2. Skateboard House, Malibu, California
This is for the skateboard fanatics. The entire house is designed like one big skateboarding rink. The house was designed by Pierre Andre Senizergues, a former pro-skating world champion.
3. The Keret House, Poland
This is the world’s slimmest house. It is 152 centimetres wide at its widest point. Jakub Szczęsny, its only resident is also its designer, and he wanted to make sure no urban spaces go unused. And so he squeezed his house in between two other buildings.
4. The Hobbit House, Wales
Straight out of Hobbiton, this house was built by a photographer who evidently was a huge LOTR fan. But the most remarkable thing about it is that it was built using only natural materials and cost only $5200.
5. Old Water Tower, Belgium
Water was not the only thing this tower stored. It was also used as a Nazi hideout during the Second World War. However, a Belgian Design firm, Bham Design Studio decided to turn this 100-foot high tower into a very comfortable and good looking house.
6. Brooklyn Clock Tower Home, New York City
Unlike most other houses on this list, this one is expensive. This is located at the top of Brooklyn’s Clock Tower and comes for $18 million. The 7,000 square foot penthouse offers some of the best views of the New York City.
7. The Flintstones House, Malibu, California
Another home inspired by pop culture, it is almost a replica of the house owned by the Flintstones family from the popular cartoon show from the 60s. This ‘rocking’ house can be yours for $3.5 million.
8. Dumpster Home, New York City
Gregory Kloehn, a designer from California, turned an old dumpster into a home for himself. Although the size is small, he’s got everything in there that’s needed to live in the house. He’s got some storage space, a microwave oven, a fridge and even a toilet.
Hmm, not too sure how comfortable it is..
9. Giant Seashell Houe, Mexico City
Inspired by the works of Antoni Gaudi and Frank Lloyd Wright architects at Arquitectura Organica created this huge seashell shaped house for a family of four in Mexico City. You can see traces of Gaudi and Wright in the use of coloured glasses on the exterior of the house.
10. The Steel House, Lubbock, Texas
Robert Bruno built this house over 23 years. It was originally intended to be only a one-storey building, but he kept adding on, and now it is a huge building that has 3 separate levels and looks like a giant steel pig. He chose this location because he could get incredible views of the Ransom Canyon underneath.
11. Star Trek Voyage House, Hinckley, Leicestershire
For Star Trek fans, this house is designed like the interior of a Star Trek ship, complete with LED lightings and intergalactic sound effects. The beautiful property was built by tony Alleyne but he lost it to his ex-wife in a legal battle. What a great place to Live Long and Prosper.
12. Upside Down House, Trassenheide, Germany
This house was built as a tourist attraction by Polish architects Klaudiusz Golos and Sebastian Mikiciuk as a part of the ‘World Upside Down Project.’ It allowed the visitors to view the world from a different perspective. Everything about this house, including the furnishings are upside down.
13 .The Toilet House, Suwon, South Korea
The Mayor of Suwon Sim Jae-Duk had this house designed in the shape of a toilet to commemorate the founding of World Toilet Organisation. The house features a beautiful rooftop balcony which has flags of many countries hoisted there. This one is also a costly house and costs over a million dollars.
14. Dupli.Casa, Ludwigsburg, Germany
This was designed by German architects J.Mayer, who are known for their bizarre concept homes. Although the shape of the house is pretty distorted, it sure looks like a nice place to live in.
15. Cohetillos, El Alto, Bolivia
Bolivian architect Freddy Mamani designed these kitsch-looking mansions to reinvent the city once known for its monochromatic architecture. He has built more 60 of them in the past 9 years and many more are in the pipeline.
16. S-House, Saitama, Japan
There’s something about the Japanese and glass houses. It has a very simple but intelligently designed interior. Created by the Japanese architect Yuusuke Karasawa, this house also allows plenty of natural daylight to come in, but offers no privacy to its residents.
17. Egg House. Beijing, China
Chinese architect Dai Haifei was troubled by the rising real estate prices in China’s capital. So what did he do? He built himself an egg-shaped house on a sidewalk. It serves his basic requirements and is totally powered by solar energy. And it’s cheap too. It cost him only $964 to build this.
18. Rancho Burrito, East Austin, Texas
Here’s a home that is a lesson in sustainable living. All within the confines of 280-square feet shipping container, the home is complete with a bedroom, a kitchen, and even has a hot tub. No wonder it causes cars on the highway to stop and notice.
19. Shark Attack Home, Headington, Oxford
You can clearly see how the house got its name. In 1986, BBC radio DJ Bill Heine had an artist install a 7.5 metre Great Whale made of fibreglass crashing into the roof of his house. Easily the most easy-to-spot house in the neighbourhood, it is now a popular landmark in the area.
20. Gue(ho)st House, Delme, France
It’s not easy to describe this house in words. Designed by architects Berdaguer and Pejus, this house is a renovated prison house. The haunting all-white exterior is made of polystyrene coated in light resin.
Which one of these would you want to live in? Tell us in the comments.