There’s a list of 50 on the website, but here are a few of my favorites:

Hang Nga Guesthouse, Vietnam.  Fun because it’s like a scary wizard’s house who has a giant giraffe for a pet.

The Stone House in Portugal.  Fun because it looks like a hobbit-house…only way bigger.

The Mushroom House in Cincinnati.  Fun because it looks like it has eyes.

The Kettle House in Texas.  Fun because it makes me think of Mother Goose rhymes – but only when I ignore the rust stains.

The Cob House in Vancouver.  Fun because it could belong to an elf or another type of small person.

House Attack in Vienna.  Fun because that house appears to be, structurally, entirely superfluous.

The Kansas City Public Library.  Fun because books are my favorite thing in the world and how cool to walk into one.

And now for my LEAST favorite in the whole list of 50:

The Manchester Civil Justice Center, home to the courtrooms of Manchester, UK.  It is eminently NOT fun because it looks like something out of 1984.  Like the Ministry of Peace or the Ministry of Love…futuristic, cold, and designed to impress upon the looker/entrant absolute authority.  That’s what I get, at least – the project description by the architectural firm that designed it says the opposite, though: “From the exterior, it signals and literally displays the accessibility of the courts.”  Just shows that you never know what people will think, no matter how hard you try to convey something.

The Village of Joy website, where these building pictures came from, has all kinds of cool things on it, like 20 Unusual Churches, and Amazing Graffiti Art by Bansky, and more – take a look!

Filed under: I'On Group, Videos & Photos on December 30th, 2008