1. Longaberger Basket Building, Newark, USA
The Longaberger Company make handcrafted baskets, so company founder Dave Longaberger decided to build their company headquarters in the shape of a basket. Sadly, other manufacturers are yet to follow his example.
2. Solar Furnace, Odeillo, France
Built to harness the rays of the sun to produce high temperatures for use by industry, this building has been hijacked by school boys keen to fry something bigger than ants with a magnifying glass.
3. Museum Moderner Kunst, Vienna, Austria
The centrepiece of an exhibition by artist Erwin Wurm, this 'installation' was meant to make the public question what defines a sculpture. Instead they asked "How did that house get there?"
4. Stone House, Guimarães, Portugal
Stone houses are generally built from quite a lot of stones. The architect of this house in Portugal decided to cut down on building materials by just using two massive boulders.
5. Druzhba Holiday Center, Yalta, Ukraine
Designed at the height of the Cold War and considered the final word in Iron Curtain chic, with every room enjoying a view of the beach. Unfortunately, the lift stopped working and that was as close as most guests got to the water.
6. Beehive House, Jerusalem, Israel
Built by the local housing authority as an attempt to break out of the mould of normal social housing architecture. Their thinking? If they live like bees, they might work like them.
7. Crooked House, Sopot, Poland
Local legend has it that the house was designed after a heavy night on Zubrowka, the notorious Polish bison grass vodka.
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8. Nautilus House, Mexico City, Mexico
Based on a sea shell, this building was commissioned because the owner wanted to live in a building integrated with nature. It is instructive to note that Mexico City is nowhere near the sea.
9. Snail House, Sofia, Bulgaria
The fall of communism in Bulgaria was celebrated in many different ways. This guy decided to mark the occasion by building a house that looked like a cartoon snail. As you do.
