Buildings are enduring symbols of art and creativity. From the Colosseum to the Great Wall of China, great buildings usually have a huge impact on people. However, these 22 buildings are more an indulgence of fantasy on the part of the architects. From turning towers to space-age domes, these fantastic places will make you wonder — how do these places even exist?
Hundertwasserhaus (Vienna, Austria)
This apartment building in Vienna, with colorful walls, irregular lines and a cascade of plants, was designed by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser in the 1980s.
Wat Samphran Temple (Nakhon Pathom, Thailand)
This Buddhist temple is famous for the 17-story tall pink cylindrical building with a gigantic dragon sculpture curling around it.
Kansas City Library (Missouri, USA)
The unique “Community Bookshelf” exterior comprised of spines of 22 books were suggested by the citizens of Kansas City
Lotus Temple (Delhi, India)
Completed in 1986, the Lotus Temple is one of only seven major Bahai temples around the world.
Kunsthaus Graz (Graz, Austria)
This contemporary art museum was given a “biomorphic” shape to make it stand out against the more traditional architecture of the surrounding buildings.
Hang Nga (Dalat, Vietnam)
Popularly known as the Crazy House, this guesthouse is inspired by natural structures and has been compared to the works of both Dalí and Gaudí
Krzywy Domek (Sopot, Poland)
Despite its unusual appearance, ‘the little crooked house’, is, in fact, a shopping center and a largely typical office building on the main street of Monte Cassino in Sopot.
Casa do Penedo (Fafe, Portugal)
Sandwiched improbably between two boulders in the Portuguese countryside, the Stone House was once the subject of controversy as a photoshop hoax. It was inspired by the Flintstones.
Turning Torso (Malmö, Sweden)
The tallest residential building in Sweden, this skyscraper twists a full 90 degrees from bottom to top.
Tianzi Hotel (Hebei, China)
This hotel takes the form of effigies 10-stories tall, of Fu, Lu, and Shou, the Chinese gods of good fortune, prosperity, and longevity.
Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Alexandria, Egypt)
This is both a commemoration of the Library of Alexandria that was lost in antiquity and a deliberate attempt to rekindle its brilliance. It has become one of Egypt’s major cultural venues
Longaberger Headquarters (Newark, Ohio, USA)
Built in 1997, the then head office for Longaberger, a company that made baskets, was constructed to resemble their signature product.
Atomium (Brussels, Belgium)
Originally constructed for the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair, this 102-meter tall stainless steel structure takes the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal. It is now a museum and restaurant.
Niteroi Museum of Contemporary Art (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Famous for both its spectacular views and its unique design, this building was designed by the country’s most famous architect, Oscar Niemeyer.
Casa Terracota (Colombia)
Built completely by hand using clay baked in the sun, this is considered to be the biggest piece of pottery in the world. It is located in Villa de Leyva, a Columbian mountain village.
Nautilus House (Mexico City, Mexico)
This fantastical house shaped like a seashell combines modern architecture with contemporary art. It was built and designed by Arquitectura Organica’s Javier Senosiain.
Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Longyearbyen, Norway)
This “doomsday seed vault” is protected with blast-proof doors, airlocks, and motion sensors that will protect its store of millions of varieties of seeds in the even of any major global disasters.
Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval (Hauterives, France)
Located in southeastern France, this “Ideal Palace” was created by Ferdinand Cheval, the town’s postman, over 33 years.
The Piano House (Anhui, China)
This experimental building in Huainan was designed by a group of architecture students at the Hefei University of Technology.
The Dancing House (Prague, Czech Republic)
Resembling a pair of dancers, the dancing house stands out among the Baroque, Gothic and Art Nouveau of Prague.
Meitan Tea Museum (Guizhou, China)
At a towering 74 meters tall, this is the proud symbol of the “hometown of Chinese green tea” in the southern Guizhou province.
Guangzhou Circle (China)
On the banks of the Pearl River, the Guangzhou Circle looks like an ancient Chinese coin and houses the stock exchange for raw plastic material.
