CRAZYYYY CRAZY Houses!!!

I am getting tired of a lot of boring threads, so here is a fun one I made for everyone, Enjoy and feel free to add any photos you have.

-Alex





Upside-Down House (Syzmbark, Poland)

This upside-down design seems totally nonsensical but that is exactly the message the Polish philanthropist and designer, Daniel Czapiewski, was trying to send. The unstable and backward construction was built as a social commentary on Poland's former Communist era. The monument is worth a trip be it for a lesson in history or balance.





Airplane house (Abuja, Nigeria)

At first glance, we thought this was a horrible plane crash! But it turns out this site was no accident. To honor his wife's love of travel, Said Jammal built their home in a shape of an airplane. The things we do for love.





Shell House (Isla Mujeres, Mexico)

While the materials used to build the Shell House were fairly traditional, the design of it was anything but. This whimsical conch construction on Isla Mujeres seems straight out of the Little Mermaid! The house has attracted a lot of attention throughout the years and it's currently available as a very unique vacation rental.





Guitar House (Fayetteville, Georgia)

Songwriter Elvis L. Carden, decided to devote the design of his house to his greatest passion: music. This 3,800 square-foot guitar-shaped home took approximately sixteen years to build, but Elvis was adamant on completing his dream house. The exterior walls have the perfect curves of a Gibson and the aluminum cables that stretch across the length of the exterior are the ultimate strings. What else could you expect from a guy named Elvis?





The Shoe House (Hellam, Pennsylvania)

Taking the idea straight out of the beloved folk tale, shoe retailer Mahlon N. Haines (aka the Shoe Wizard) built this house in 1948 to advertise his business. After Haines passed away, the Shoe House was sold and turned into a destination ice cream parlor. Today it is back in the Haines family's hands and open for tours.





Toilet House (Suweon, Korea)

To highlight the need for better sanitation around the world, the chairman of the World Toilet Association, Sim Jae-duck, built his house in the shape of a toilet (now that's dedication). The steel, white concrete and glass house is named Haewoojae, which in Korean means "a place of sanctuary where one can solve one's worries." Before he moved in, Jae-duck rented the house for $50,000 and gave the proceeds to his campaign to provide poor countries with proper sanitary facilities.





The Pineapple House (Dunmore Park, Scotland)

In 18th century Europe, nothing said affluence like a massive pineapple. This tropical delicacy became a symbol of coveted exoticism stretching from cuisine to architecture. And the IV Earl of Dunmore just had to have one. In 1761, he built this home addition as a garden retreat and hothouse and today it is one of the most famous buildings in Scotland.





Dog Park Inn (Cottonwood, Idaho)

Dennis Sullivan and Frances Conklin created the Dog Bark Park for their love of beagles and classic roadside attractions. The beagle-shaped cottages are available for rent. The gift shop, which features "the whimsical chainsaw artwork of husband/wife artists Dennis and Frances" is definitely a highlight.





Car House (Salzburg, Austria)

The compact Volkswagen Beetle has always been a fuel-efficient car, but what about applying that conservationist model to a house? German architect Mark Voglreiter took up the challenge and nailed it with the "Auto Residence." Its thermal insulation makes it very energy-efficient. The house was rented in 2004 for a pricey $2,500 euros a month-and we thought people living in their cars were trying to save money!





Gangster House (Archangelsk, Russia)

Though incomplete, the "Gangster House" is believed to be the world's tallest wooden house, soaring thirteen floors to reach 144 feet (about half the size of London's Big Ben). The homeowner or gangster, Nikolai Sutyagin, had all intentions of finishing the construction but his dream went on hold when he got locked up behind bars for his third jail sentence. Now out of jail and out of money, the ex-convict lives at the bottom of this precarious tower of wood.





Free Spirit Houses (British Columbia, Canada)

These wooden spheres can be hung from any solid surface (tree, cliff, bridge, etc.) and are accessed by a spiral stairway or a short suspension bridge. A web of rope grasps onto a strong point, essentially replacing the foundation of a conventional building. You can anchor points on the top and bottom to prevent swinging or just let it loose and enjoy the ride.





Cactus House (Rotterdam, Netherlands)

Cool-looking would be a good enough reason for us, but this housing design was created to maximize each apartment's outdoor space and indoor sunlight. The splaying stack of slabs creates big terraces for gardening and the irregular shape allows sun to enter from multiple angles.





Floating Castle (Ukraine)

Supported by a single cantilever, this mysterious levitating farm house belongs in a sci-fi flick. It's claimed to be an old bunker for the overload of mineral fertilizers but we're sure there's a better back story . . . alien architects probably had a hand in it.





Mushroom House (Cincinnati, Ohio)

So disparate in materials and shapes, this hodgepodge house looks like its been welded and glued together. But this is no hobo-construction, it was designed by the professor of architecture and interior design at the University of Cincinnati, Terry Brown, and was recently on the market for an estimated $400K





Cube House (Rotterdam, Netherlands)

Living in a tilted house is much easier than it looks -- just ask the people living in these the Kijk-Kubus homes. Architect Piet Blom tipped a conventional house forty-five degrees and rested it upon a hexagon-shaped pole so that three sides face down and the other three face the sky. Each of the cube houses accommodates three floors: a living space including a kitchen, study and bathroom, the middle floor houses bedrooms and the top is the pyramid room that can act like an attic or viewing deck. These houses are quite expensive, but you can satisfy your curiosity by visiting the museum show house.





Extreme Tree House (Irian Jana, Indonesia)

The Korowai and Kombai clans carved out clearings of the remote part of the low-land forest to make way for these extreme tree houses. Unlike the typical tree houses that are nestled in branches, these dwellings are perched on the tip-tops of the trees fully exposed to the elements. But we aren't sure which is scarier: a strong gust of wind or the ladder they use to get up there.





It's A Jungle Out There-And In Here

This rendering shows a "jungle-gym" house with jigsaw components that make you want to climb, explore and work your way to the top. Designed by Owen Moss, the three-floor home's intricate angles and curves keep you moving-and guessing what's around the corner.





Ski For All

The only way to get to this house in Zauchensee, Austria, is to strap on those Nordic skis and work your way to the front door.





Water Works

A strict no-motorboat policy on this lake means rowing is the only way to get home. The good news? You can ditch the gym since your twice-daily workout will keep you in tip-top shape.





Step to My Loo

When architect, Peter Anderson, asked the homeowners of this ten-story "Stairmaster" house if they wanted an elevator installed, they replied: "No, running up and down stairs is good for you." Especially when the bathroom is on the fifth level! Each room in the house is its own floor so to get from one area to the next you must take the stairs-two at a time!

the cactus house is pretty awesome.

haha nice.

i LOVE architecture...those are awesome great find!

That Gangster house is so gangster!